Mark Cowan

Urban development

• Mark has acted for developers across front end advice and appeals relating to master planned communities and other residential projects, hotels, office, industrial, port and industrial developments. He has also negotiated related major infrastructure and broader benefit agreements with local governments, state departments and relevant utility entities.

Local government

• Mark brings intricate knowledge of local government operations, processes, governance, and executive and councillor decision-making, having more than five years of experience as both senior legal/general counsel and formerly as an environmental planner.

Resources

• Mark advises on environmental, land access, water and tenements issues across CSG, coal and mineral developments, associated LNG and other processing facilities, pipelines, housing, water, electricity, rail and road transport, and port infrastructure. He also regularly acts in relation to environmental non-compliance and associated civil or criminal enforcement proceedings.
• Recent work includes:
  • advising on major bauxite mining operations on Cape York and alumina refining operations in Gladstone, other North Queensland gold and copper mining operations, and coal mine expansions in the Bowen Basin
  • advising on CSG field expansions, water assessment obligations and rehabilitation compliance matters
  • advising numerous clients on rehabilitation planning, rehabilitation cost and environmental surety requirements and related appeals to the Land Court
  • acting for client in appeals against issue of Environmental Protection Orders in the Planning & Environment Court, and prosecution for wilful environmental harm in the Magistrates Court.

Renewable energy

• Mark has extensive experience advising in front end project and transaction work for major wind, solar, battery, grid firming, hydrogen, hydro and critical mineral projects, and acting in related disputes, compliance issues or appeals in the Planning & Environment Court and Land Court.
• Recent matters involve:
  • advising on local, state and federal project approval, land access (including landowner, cultural heritage and agreements with overlapping resources tenements) and broader community benefit or infrastructure agreements, and compliance matters for both large scale wind farm developments in Western and Darling Downs, Maryborough and North Queensland regions, and major solar and BESS (including other grid firming component) projects in Western Downs, Moreton Bay, Gladstone and Goondiwindi regions
  • representing project proponents in the Planning & Environment Court on 420MW solar farm and BESS refusal by Western Downs Regional Council, and submitters’ appeals against 200MW BESS at Brendale and 20MW solar farm on the Sunshine Coast
  • advising on major State and Federal approval coordination and structuring issues for a major commercial hydro project, as well as smaller on-mining lease hydro projects utilising residual voids
  • advising on a combined hydrogen and solar pilot project in Gladstone.

Infrastructure

• Mark has advised a range of infrastructure utilities and on major transport, energy, communications, municipal and social infrastructure projects, including regional airport expansions, subsea and terrestrial data cables, power stations, communications facilities, general use and mining focussed ports, commercial, public passenger and cross-river rail projects, water and sewerage infrastructure, public health, social, recreational and education infrastructure, and public and commercial waste and quarrying operations.
• Recent work includes:
  • advising on approvals, environmental contamination, compulsory acquisition and interface matters for Cross River Rail, Gold Coast Stations Project, Aurizon network and State Government rail projects, Toowoomba second range crossing and private toll roads
  • airport infrastructure expansions in Cairns, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast
  • acting for distributor-retailers on inter-governmental infrastructure and governance issues, water network planning obligations, and in developer appeals on trunk conditioning and infrastructure charging.