Stephanie has experience in a wide range of planning matters for a range of clients. 
Examples of recent instructions in this area include:

• Instructed as sole counsel to represent a local residents’ association in their High Court challenge to a traffic regulation order (‘TRO’);
• Instructed as sole counsel to represent a local authority at an enforcement inquiry;
• Advising a local authority in relation to the prospects of success at an enforcement appeal;
• Advising local residents on the prospects of success in potential statutory review challenges;
• Advising a local authority on rural exception sites and local occupancy conditions; and
• Advising a business on the lawfulness of enforcement action taken by a local authority.

During pupillage Stephanie also assisted her supervisors and other members of chambers on planning judicial review claims and other advisory work.

Examples include:

• Assisting Douglas Edwards KC at the permission stage on a challenge to an inspector’s decision raising several issues of procedural fairness: Best Holdings (UK) Limited v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2023] EWHC 492 (Admin).
• Assisting Hugh Flanagan on a challenge raising issues of the correct interpretation of NPPF provisions on the Green Belt: Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2023] EWHC 2055 (Admin). 
• Assisting Rebecca Clutten in relation to several enforcement matters, including advice to a local authority on how best to enforce against a breach of planning control, and advising a business on how to avoid a potential breach of planning control and the associated risks.  
• Assisting Douglas Edwards KC in relation to advice on the interaction between advertising consent and planning. 

Prior to becoming a pupil, Stephanie worked as a paralegal at a specialist planning law firm, where she gained exposure to a wide range of planning issues, assisting on advice in a range of areas including:

• Implementation and interpretation of planning permissions;
• Permitted Development rights;
• Material changes of use;
• Enforcement time limits and concealment.

She also worked on two enforcement appeals and a related judicial review challenge, gaining considerable experience in this area.

Stephanie is currently instructed as sole counsel to represent a local residents’ association in their High Court challenge to a traffic regulation order (‘TRO’), which raises multiple public law issues. 

Stephanie also acted as junior counsel to Richard Honey KC alongside Ned Westaway and Esther Drabkin-Reiter in the Court of Appeal in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2023] EWCA Civ 927, which concerned the meaning of “open-air recreation” under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 in addition to other principles of statutory interpretation.

During her first six, Stephanie gained exposure to environmental issues arising in the context of judicial review challenges to planning and infrastructure decisions. 

She has assisted Ned Westaway on several environmental law matters including a challenge in relation to the nature and scope of riparian rights and advising on the interpretation of animal welfare regulations. 

Stephanie has written on the overlap between human rights and environmental law both as part of her contributions to the Environmental Law Blog and to UKELA’s e-law publication. 

Stephanie recently acted as junior counsel to Richard Honey KC alongside Ned Westaway and Esther Drabkin-Reiter in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2023] EWCA Civ 927, a Court of Appeal challenge concerning the meaning of “open-air recreation” under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985.

She has also been instructed as sole counsel to represent a local residents’ association in their High Court challenge to a traffic regulation order (‘TRO’).

During pupillage Stephanie also assisted her pupil supervisors on matters in these areas, including:

• Assisting Hugh Flanagan on a case involving interpretation of “neighbourhood” in the context of a challenge to the de-registration of a town and village green: R(Strack) v Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [2023] EWHC 655 (Admin)
• Assisting Rebecca Clutten on advice relating to the diversion of bridleways under the Transport and Works Act 1992.
• Assisting Cain Ormondroyd on a matter concerning the maintenance of a bridge under a local Act of Parliament.
   

Stephanie has been instructed frequently to represent responsible authorities in licensing matters. 

Examples of recent instructions in this area include review hearings in relation to revocation and variation of licences for night clubs/late-night venues; a petrol station; a restaurant; a community centre and a supermarket/off-licence.
 

Stephanie has assisted with a range of compulsory purchase and compensation matters during pupillage under the supervision of Rebecca Clutten. These included researching points of law and assisting with the legal review of documents in preparation for making a CPO. 

During puillage Stephanie assisted on a wide range of rating matters under the supervision of Hugh Flanagan, including assisting with advice on the plant and machinery regulations and researching the scope of the public religious worship exemption.

Stephanie has also been instructed on several matters involving the non-payment of business rates. 
 

• The University of Law, BPC (very competent) (2021)
• University of Oxford, BA Law (Jurisprudence) (First) (2020)
• University College London & SciencesPo Paris, BA European Social and Political Studies: Dual Degree (First) (2016)
   

• Mistress of Moots, The University of Law
• Wilfred Watson Scholarship, Gray's Inn
• Exhibitioner, Merton College, Oxford
• Fowler Prizes for performance in internal examinations, Merton College, Oxford
• Allen & Overy Second Year Law Prize, Merton College, Oxford
• Sessional Prize, University College London

• Winner UKELA Lord Slynn of Hadley (Senior) Moot (2021)
• Winner HSF Disability Mooting Championship: Oxford v Cambridge (2019) 
• Quarterfinalist at the international rounds of the Price Media Law Moot Court, representing University of Oxford (2018-19) 
   

Prior to commencing pupillage, Stephanie worked as a paralegal at Town Legal LLP, researching and assisting with the drafting of advice on planning issues including:

• Implementation of planning permissions;
• Interpretation of a planning permission;
• Permitted Development rights;
• Changes of use;
• Enforcement time limits.

While at Town Legal, Stephanie also worked on two enforcement appeals and a related judicial review challenge, gaining considerable experience in this area. 
 

• ALBA
• UKELA
   

• Book review “Dina Lupin Townsend: Human Dignity and the Adjudication of Environmental Law”, (2020) 121 UKELA E-Law 21
• ‘Open Doors and How to Shut Them: Omissions Liability for Public Authorities’ (2020) 9 OUULJ 55
• Darwall v Dartmoor: open-air recreation re-defined? FTB Environmental Law Blog, 21 March 2023
• Torres Strait Islanders Decision: Admissibility, Article 6 and Adaptation, FTB Environmental Law Blog, 19 January 2023

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