Francis Taylor Building

Stephanie has a broad public law practice, with a particular focus on planning, environmental and highways law.  She is currently ranked as one of the top 10 planning barristers under 35 in Planning Magazine’s Planning Law Survey 2025.

She has extensive advocacy experience, having acted for all parties to a legal challenge (claimants, defendants, interested parties and interveners) and representing clients in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Her clients include NGOs, landowners, developers, local government, statutory bodies, residents’ groups and private individuals.

Stephanie welcomes instructions across all of Chambers’ practice areas and is happy to work on a pro-bono basis in appropriate cases.

Recent / significant cases include:

Supreme Court:

• Darwall and another v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20 – represented the Open Spaces Society (led by Ned Westaway, alongside Esther Drabkin-Reiter) in a challenge which concerned whether access to the commons “on foot or on horseback for the purposes of open-air recreation” under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 includes the right to wild camp, (acting pro bono).

Court of Appeal:

• Darwall and another v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2023] EWCA Civ 927, [2024] 2 WLR 297 – represented the Open Spaces Society (led by Richard Honey KC alongside Ned Westaway and Esther Drabkin-Reiter) in the Court of Appeal (see facts above).

High Court / Divisional Court:

• Rose (on behalf of Friends of Mill Road Bridge 2) v Cambridgeshire County Council [2025] EWHC 1715 (Admin) – represented the claimant in a challenge to the lawfulness of decision to close a bridge to private cars;
• Ross v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2025] EWHC 1183 (Admin) – represented the claimant (led by Annabel Graham Paul) in a challenge to a decision to grant planning permission for a 49.9MW solar farm, in which a central issue was whether NPS policy EN-3 permitted the “overplanting” of solar panels for reasons other than panel degradation;
• R(Friends of the Earth, Jordan & Paulley) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [2024] EWHC 2707 (Admin) – represented the defendant (led by Mark Westmoreland Smith KC alongside Charles Streeten) in a challenge to the legality of the third National Adaptation Programme (“NAP3”) under the Climate Change Act 2008;
• R(Gurajena and Benta v London Borough of Newham [2024] EWHC 1745 (Admin) -  represented the defendant local authority in a case concerning the requirement to reconsult following the amendment of plans as part of a planning application;
• R(Parkes) v Dorset Council [2024] EWHC 1253 (Admin) – represented the third interested party (led by Richard Honey KC) in a case concerning the jurisdictional limit of “land” under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;
• Wesson, Chair of Friends of Mill Road Bridge v Cambridgeshire County Council [2024] EWHC 1068 (Admin) – represented the claimant in a challenge to a traffic regulation order (‘TRO’) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, including representing the Claimant in two application hearings in respect of applications for summary judgment, strike out, security for costs, interim relief and Aarhus costs

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.

Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA) Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA) Planning and Environmental Bar Association (PEBA) UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA)

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)