Francis Taylor Building

Kate is an established and highly experienced planning and public law practitioner. She is valued for her judgment, good legal sense, the clarity of her advocacy and written advice, and for her approachability and excellent client care.

In her planning work Kate acts for both developers and local authorities at planning inquiries and hearings and in the High Court and Court of Appeal.

Kate acted for the Secretary of State promoting the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre at the call-in Inquiry heard in October and November 2020, and defended the grant of planning permission in the High Court. In April 2022 she acted for the developer interested party successfully defending a grant of planning permission to build another storey on top of an existing building.

She acted for Ealing LBC in the 55 West tall building inquiry heard in July 2021 and in the appeal in relation to 56-58 Stanley Gardens in Ealing in which a landmark residential building was proposed in the LSIS (industrial area) in place of the current storage use, heard in November - December 2021. From October-December 2022 Kate acted for the Peak District National Park Authority in an enforcement appeal inquiry raising many heritage issues.

In July 2019 she appeared for Wiltshire County Council at the Stonehenge DCO hearings.

Kate was instructed by Wirral Council on an ongoing basis in connection with the preparation of the new Wirral Local Plan and was deeply involved since the Regulation 18 consultation stage, also producing the experts' verification report of Wirral's Action Plan, in one of the first cases in which the Secretary of State intervened under the 2004 Act in the Local Plan process.

Kate appeared for the developer at the Notting Hill Gate Newcombe House Inquiry in November 2019 and for most of the Rule 6 parties at the Swiss Cottage 100 Avenue Road tall building Inquiry. She has also advised on various issues in relation to the 40 Leadenhall Street redevelopment. She acted on behalf of the developer (Nam Sang Wai Development Company Limited) in a complex and lengthy planning appeal in Hong Kong (where she is also called to the Hong Kong Bar), raising many important ecological issues, from 2018 to 2021.

Kate also has very strong public law experience and appeared as sole Counsel in the Supreme Court in C v Secretary of State for Justice [2016] UKSC 2 (concerning the principle of open justice) and appeared in the Court of Final Appeal in Designing Hong Kong Ltd [2018] HKCFA 16 (which made the law on protective costs orders/cost capping orders for Hong Kong). She also acted (with Christopher Jacobs) for the successful claimant in the constitutional law case of R (Roszkowski) v SSHD [2017] EWCA Civ 1893 (concerning the ability of the Secretary of State to intervene in grants of bail made by Immigration Judges).

Kate practises both in the UK and internationally and is one of a very small group of barristers who are able to accept instructions in Hong Kong cases without the need to seek ad hoc admission. A keen Mandarin speaker, Kate welcomes instructions from overseas clients with business interests in London and throughout the UK. Kate is also becoming involved in planning and urban design projects in the Middle East.

Kate has been interviewed on topical cases by Jim Reed on Newsnight and has in the past acted as a legal adviser to the TV series, Holby City.

Called to the bar in 1999.

Mandarin

Kate graduated with First Class Honours from St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University (Chinese Studies).

She completed her CPE/Diploma in Law at City University and was called to the Bar (England & Wales) by Middle Temple in 1999.

In 2014 she passed the Hong Kong Bar Examinations for Overseas Practitioners and in 2015 she was called to the Hong Kong Bar.

In 2005 she became a CEDR-accredited mediator.