Ruth Stockley

---

Year of Call: 1988

Profile

Ruth practises in all aspects of town and country planning, highways and rights of way, environment, compulsory purchase, village greens, taxi licensing, education, local government, administrative law and judicial review.
She has represented developers, local authorities and third parties in a wide range of public inquiries including major retail, housing, commercial and leisure developments as well as windfarms, mineral extraction and landfill proposals. She has also appeared in numerous rights of way inquiries, enforcement inquiries and development plan inquiries.

She regularly appears before the Administrative Court in statutory appeals and judicial review proceedings. She also appears before the Lands Tribunal in compulsory purchase and compensation cases, and in all the general civil and criminal courts in highway and other public law related matters. In addition, she has appeared before the Traffic Commissioner.

In non-statutory village green inquiries, she has sat as an Inspector on many occasions, and has also represented both applicants and objectors at such inquiries.
Ruth is an editor of Sweet and Maxwell's Encyclopedia of Highway Law and Practice, and she regularly delivers papers to various planning, highway, traffic and village green conferences.

 

Recommendations

Chambers UK 2012: Ruth Stockley's environment expertise is supplemented by her extensive planning knowledge. Market commentators praiseher sense of reason and add: "She is good on her feet."

Chambers UK 2012: Ruth Stockley is known for her academic comprehension of planning law. She has experience of acting on retail, residential and leisure developments for local authorities, developers and third parties.

Chambers UK 2011:  Ruth Stockley is admired for her town and country planning expertise, especially that pertaining to landfill, village green and wind farm matters. 

Chambers UK 2011: Ruth Stockley commands a vast amount of loyalty amongst her clients, who return to her time and again because of her wide  knowledge of town and country planning, highways, village greens and compulsory purchase matters.

Chambers UK: Ruth Stockley is applauded for her stream of landfill and wind farm work and is noted for having a broad and through understanding of planning law, with her knowledge of highway matters billed as "absolutely second to none - she can just pluck the relevant facts out of the air".

Chambers UK: "Sound, client-focused and reliable," Ruth Stockley was the subject of a stream of good feedback. 

Chambers UK: "approachable, practical and sensitive advocate".

Legal 500 2010: "consistently recommended for planning instructions"

Legal 500 : "consistently recommended".

Legal 500: "In an excellent group, solicitors consistently mention Ruth Stockley".

Legal 500: ".....highly rated".

Legal 500: "Popular juniors include Ruth Stockley".

Legal 500: "The extremely strong team includes the knowledgeable Ruth Stockley."

ADMINISTRATIVE AND PUBLIC LAW AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Ruth practises in a wide range of administrative and public law both in relation to court appearances and advisory work.

A very significant element of Ruth's practice involves highways and rights of way. She regularly advises and appears in court and at inquiries on all aspects of highway law.

Reported cases include British Telecommunications plc v. Gwynedd Council [2004] 4 All ER 975 involving the sharing of costs of street works and Skrenty v. Harrogate Borough Council [1999] EGCS 127 concerning whether a road leading to a beauty spot could be a highway.

Recent cases of interest include appearing on behalf of a local highway authority in a contested Section 56 of the Highways Act 1980 hearing over whether a highway was out of repair; successfully obtaining a court order requiring the removal of obstructions on a highway; successfully defending an appeal against the service of a notice under Section 154 of the Highways Act 1980 requiring the removal of overhanging trees; successfully prosecuting a party for tethering horses on the highway contrary to the Highways Act 1835; appearing in a contested case over the making up of private streets; and regularly appearing for the local highway authority and for objectors in applications to stop up or divert a highway under the Highways Act 1980 or under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Ruth also frequently advises and appears in court and inquiries on all aspects of public rights of way. She has appeared in numerous inquiries for the surveying authority and for objectors in relation to definitive map modification orders under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Ruth is an editor of Sweet and Maxwell's Encyclopedia of Highway Law and Practice, and she regularly delivers papers and provides training on highways and rights of way.

Ruth was recently recommended in this specific area in Chambers UK 2010 "with her knowledge of highway matters billed as "absolutely second to none - she can just pluck the relevant facts out of the air"."

Ruth also has specific expertise in traffic management and has advised traffic authorities and individuals in relation to traffic regulation, traffic orders, parking and decriminalisation. She also regularly advises on the drafting of traffic orders.

She has appeared before the Traffic Penalty Tribunal and has advised in judicial review proceedings in relation to traffic orders and penalty charge notices. She has also appeared before the Traffic Commissioner seeking a Traffic Regulation Condition to regulate the operations of local buses using the bus stands in the Manchester City Centre.

Ruth regularly delivers papers at seminars on traffic regulation.

Ruth also undertakes advisory and advocacy work in education, with a particular emphasis on admissions, exclusions and special educational needs.

Recent cases include appearing before an Independent Appeal Panel in relation to a pupil's exclusion due to having drugs on school premises; appearing in the High Court in a negligence claim seeking damages in relation to a school's failure to deal properly with a pupil's special educational needs in the form of dyslexia; and successfully defending a judicial review against a school's admissions procedure.

Ruth further undertakes advisory and advocacy work in connection with licensing with a particular emphasis on hackney carriage and private hire licensing. She has appeared in various courts in relation to numerous taxi licensing matters.

Reported cases include R. (on the application of Mr Lionel Morris) v. Newport City Council [2009] EWHC 3051 (Admin) concerning age limits on vehicles licensed; Chauffeur Bikes Limited v. Leeds City Council [2005] All ER (D) 106 relating to the licensing of motorbikes as private hire vehicles and R. (on the application of Leeds City Council) v. Taxi Centre (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) Limited [2005] All ER (D) 113 concerning hackney carriage licensing.

Ruth practises in various aspects of local government work, undertaking both advisory and advocacy work.

She has specific experience in constitutional issues and the powers and duties of public bodies. A reported case in this area is R. v. Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, ex parte Yapp [1993] 92 LGR 110 concerning competitive tendering and the doctrine of legitimate expectation.

She has also advised upon standards and conduct issues and has appeared before the Standards Board Appeal Tribunal.

In addition, Ruth has experience in other areas of public law, including judicial reviews in relation to housing law and community care. Reported cases include R. v. South Ribble Borough Council Housing Benefit Review Board, ex parte Hamilton [2001] 33 HLR 104 relating to fraud and the claiming of housing benefits.

 

Publications

Ruth is an editor of Sweet and Maxwell's Encyclopedia of Highway Law and Practice.

 

Memberships

Planning and Environment Bar Association

Administrative Law Bar Association

Former President of Manchester Law Library

Northern and North Eastern Circuits

 

Career & Education

University: Nottingham

Degree: LLB (Hons)

Year of Call: 1988 (Lincoln's Inn)

Joined Chambers: 1988

 

Other

Direct Professional Access: Yes