• Law Society of Ireland
  • The Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association
  • Irish Environmental Law Association
  • Health and Safety Lawyers Association of Ireland
  • Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland (2000)
  • Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) (1998)

Alice leads the Environment and Climate Group at Philip Lee LLP.

She is ranked “Band 1” by Chambers Europe, and “Hall of Fame” by Legal 500.

Alice provides specialist advice on planning, environmental, and renewable energy plans and projects, and is an experienced judicial review lawyer. Alice focuses on housing, renewable energy, marine, and sustainable infrastructure projects. Alice has led the regulatory due diligence on significant infrastructure investments and project M&A.  

Representative Matters


Plans and Projects:

  • Planning for the Dublin Array Offshore Wind Project, including Maritime Area Consents, on behalf of RWE Renewables Ireland Limited and Saorgus Energy.
  • Planning for the ‘Core’ Project, the redevelopment of the Premier Periclase Limited manufacturing site in Drogheda, Co Louth, transforming it into a mixed-use, sustainably powered enterprise campus, on behalf of a joint venture between Gyrogy and Meridiam Partners.
  • The first Designated Maritime Area Plan for Offshore Renewable Energy adopted by the Irish Government under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021, for the South Coast of Ireland (SC-DMAP), on behalf of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. 
  • Planning and CPO for BusConnects Galway: Cross-City Link, on behalf of Galway City Council.
  • Repowering of Barnesmore Wind Farm in Co Donegal, and an on-site 3MW Battery Energy Storage project, on behalf of ScottishPower Renewables (part of Iberdrola).
  • The 100MW Gormans Battery Energy Storage project in Co Meath, on behalf of ScottishPower Renewables.
  • Port of Cork redevelopment at Ringaskiddy, Phases 1 and 2, on behalf of Port of Cork Company.
  • The Regulatory Review for Project Woodland, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
  • Multiple subsea fibre optic cable systems connecting Ireland to the UK, USA, and Denmark, on behalf of AquaComms.
  • Waste licence, planning permission, foreshore licence and CPO for the Dublin Waste to Energy, on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities.
  • National Children’s Hospital and two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres at Connolly Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital, on behalf of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.  

Regulatory Due Diligence:

Judicial Review:

  • Securing a High Court decision that an effective remedy under the Habitats Directive does not include restricting the use of marine survey data gathered under a licence granted in breach of that Directive, in judicial review proceedings on behalf of RWE Renewables Ireland Limited (Coastal Concern [2024] IEHC 524).
  • Securing two High Court decisions that solar PV is not a class of project under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, on behalf of An Bord Pleanála (Kavanagh (Highfield Solar) [2020] IEHC 259; and Sweetman (IGP Solar) [2020] IEHC 39).
  • Securing a High Court decision that a marine energy test site, that does not generate electricity for the national grid, is not a class of project under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (Uí Mhuirnín [2019] IEHC 824).
  • Successfully defending An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for the Apple Data Centre in both the High Court and the Supreme Court, on behalf of An Bord Pleanála (Fitzpatrick and Daly [2017] IEHC 585; [2017] IEHC 644; and [2019] IESC 23).
  • Successfully challenging the refusal of permission for a residential development and access road adjacent to and incorporating part of the Cherrywood SDZ on objective bias grounds, on behalf of the O’Flynn Group (O’Flynn Capital Partners [2016] IEHC 480).
Alice Whittaker’s overall knowledge of this area and pragmatic and commercial approach to navigating difficult permitting requirements makes her a clear leader in this area.
Legal 500, 2023
Alice Whittaker provides extremely thorough legal advice and demonstrates a keen insight into topics relating to the changing legislative and regulatory landscape for large infrastructure projects in Ireland.
Legal 500, 2024
Alice Whittaker is a stand-out lawyer and one of the best in her field. She has a keen analytical ability to see the root of an issue enabling her to provide solutions-focused advice to clients. Her depth of knowledge and involvement in some of the seminal planning and environmental cases makes her go-to advisor for planning and environmental law.
Legal 500, 2023
Alice Whittaker is an expert in her field. Very knowledgeable, efficient and responsive.
Legal 500, 2022
Alice Whittaker has a comprehensive understanding of planning and environmental law.
Legal 500, 2022
Alice Whittaker maintains an excellent reputation for her strong planning and environmental practice.
Chambers Europe, 2021
Alice Whittaker is an outstanding lawyer, bringing experience and knowledge to all legal queries we raise. She anticipates potential pitfalls and brings an unrivalled level of knowledge and expertise to her advice, clearly and concisely. She is highly responsive and approachable and is transparent in her billing. Excellent all round.
Legal 500, 2024
Alice Whittaker is an excellent lawyer. She’s sharp, practical and always keen to deliver something that is of use to clients.
Chambers Europe, 2024
Alice is very hard to top – she has a lot of experience and good technical knowledge.
Chambers Europe, 2024

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