Martha Grekos

Martha is an expert in all aspects of planning law, working on some of the most complex redevelopment, regeneration and infrastructure schemes that shape our City and our Country. She specialises in promoting redevelopment projects that are politically sensitive and involve large and complex environmental impact assessments, compulsory purchase orders, highway orders, planning agreements and appeal court proceedings including judicial review.

Martha thinks of her role as standing in the shoes of the client and working a part of a team to deliver a commercial outcome. She is not a lawyer that likes to just sit behind her desk and churn out the law. Instead, she focuses on client service, rolling up her sleeves to unlock issues in order to find a way through – coming to an agreement with all parties involved.

Martha has more than 23 years of experience from the specialist Planning and Environmental Bar and leading City law firms. She graduated with a Masters of Law from the University of Cambridge. She has also taught planning law at the University of Cambridge. She is published widely in her field of expertise and was Assistant Editor to the Journal of Planning and Environmental Law (1998-2013) and to the Encyclopaedia of Environmental Law (2000-2013). She has now also been appointed by various organisations as a Non- Executive Director, Board Advisor and Trustee to provide incisive constructive challenge and support as an invaluable ‘critical friend’.

Examples of her recent experience are as follows:

• Lend Lease (Heygate Estate, centre of £1.5BN Elephant & Castle regeneration): advised on multi-party negotiations and drafting of section 106 agreement for outline application for Heygate Masterplan of 2,400 affordable new homes, new park and public realm and other legal agreements with Southwark Council, TfL and Greater London Authority, including CPO requirements.
• Barking Riverside (JV between GLA and L&Q on largest housing development in the Thames Gateway): advised continuously for 10 years on the submission of all the planning applications for Barking Riverside (outline, full, section 73 and reserved matters) and the subsequent discharge of conditions and implementation of the project and masterplan.
• Almacantar (redevelopment of Centre Point Tower): advised on all the strategic planning aspects and drafting and negotiating the section 106 agreement for the £350 million residential-led conversion of the 1960s Centre Point Tower in central London. The scheme is one of the highest- profile office-to-residential conversion projects in the country.
• Almacantar (redevelopment of Marble Arch Tower): advised on all the strategic planning aspects and drafting and negotiating the section 106 agreement for the redevelopment of Marble Arch Tower, a large-scale mixed use development combining prime residential, office, retail, restaurant and cinema space.
• Caudwell Properties Ltd (redevelopment of Audley Square House): advised John Caudwell’s property investment and development business in the redevelopment of Audley Square House – a high-end housing complex in Mayfair.
• Dar Plus (redevelopment of 150 Holborn): advised on the planning application for the redevelopment of 150 Holborn into modern key commercial offices so as to be the HQ in London for Dar Group.
• Department of Transport (HS2 Ltd): advised on submission of contentious hybrid bill to build and operate HS2 to Parliament, including detailed legal instructions to Parliamentary draftsmen, drafting and settling agreements on behalf of the Secretary of State against landowners/affected parties, advising on CPO powers.
• London Underground Limited (Bank Station): advised on redevelopment of Bank station, including environmental impact assessment, application of TWAO to construct and operate railway (including CPO powers) and planning and listed building consents applications.
• EDF Energy (Hinkley Point C): advised on various aspects of construction and operation of nuclear power station, including planning application for site preparation works, DCO application, interpretation of Planning Act 2008 and IPC guidance, habitats regulations, EIA, issues on community benefits, land acquisition strategy, consents required.
• Forewind Limited (Teesside A&B Offshore Wind Farm): advised strategically and procedurally on two proposed offshore wind farm arrays under the DCO regime, with installed generating capacity of up to 1,200 MW.

Martha is ranked as one of the most influential women in planning (Planner, 2020), ranked in Chambers UK (2019) as an ‘up and coming’ planning lawyer in London and recommended as a ‘Leading Planning Junior’ in Legal 500 (2019). She is listed as one of the top three planning lawyers in the UK (Planning, 2016), and has been voted by Property Week ‘40 Under 40’ as one of the rising stars and most influential people in the property industry aged under 40 (2017). In 2021, she was also a shortlisted finalist by Property Week for ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Property Awards.