Mary Cook is a Consultant at Town Legal and is based in our London office. Mary is one of our founding partners and prior to joining Town Legal, she was a member of Cornerstone Barristers where she was Joint Head of Chambers.
Mary remains a barrister, advising both public and private sector clients on a range of complex planning law issues. She is currently focused on plan making under the current transitional arrangements, the future for SDSs, and the implications of the NPPF particularly on plan making and the promotion of development on grey belt land. She has considerable experience in assessing schemes involving technical issues of flood risk, protected species and their environments, BNG, daylight and sunlight assessments, complex transport assessments and heritage issues and regularly tests complex planning applications for robustness. She continues to advocate for a range of clients on appeals and at examinations.
Experience
Development Schemes & Strategic Land Advice
Mary offers strategic advice on the promotion of regeneration schemes, in the course of changing policy contexts, testing the robustness of the planning strategy and ultimately shaping the timing of land promotion/ planning applications. During the course of her career Mary has advised regeneration agencies, development corporations and other public bodies promoting regeneration. She has promoted a variety of successful CPOs. At Town Mary steers both public and private sector clients through the complex development management processes including the strategy around multiphase development and section 96A/73 processes to achieve scheme delivery whilst avoiding challenges and appeals. She has considerable experience in schemes involving technical issues of flood risk, protected species and their environments, BNG, daylight and sunlight assessments, complex transport assessments as well as statutory and locally listed buildings and conservation areas. She is currently very much focused on advice to the public and private sector on grey belt issues.
Local Plan Examinations & Neighbourhood Plans
Most recently she has promoted a significant new garden village at York, securing its release from the Green Belt, obtained an allocation for a residential omission site in West Berkshire. She advised on viability issues relating to the Cranbrook Local plan in Devon; the redevelopment of previously developed land in the AONB and Green Belt in Kent; allocations for a commercial warehouse and a Rail Freight Terminal in the Green Belt in Central Bedfordshire; and urban extensions in Leicestershire and the Black Country and working to secure numerous housing allocations. She has successfully steered a Joint Local Plan through examination and offered strategic advice to groups of authorities.
Appeals
Mary has particular experience in identifying and testing the robustness of evidence required in support of all appeals across a wide range of diverse sectors. She continues to act for a wide range of clients on all modes of appeals.