Ruchi Parekh

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Ruchi has a broad public law practice with particular expertise in planning and environment, information, local government and election law.

She also has experience in a range of related areas including licensing, housing, property, education and commercial law.

Ruchi is regularly instructed by public bodies, including central and local government, private organisations, developers and individuals.

Ruchi has an LLM from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded a Public Service Fellowship, and an LLB (First Class Honours) from the London School of Economics, where she won several prizes including two for best overall performance in the year. Ruchi was awarded the Stephen Chapman Scholarship from Inner Temple.

Ruchi’s previous experience includes human rights litigation in domestic courts in eastern Europe and southern and eastern Africa, and the European Court of Human Rights, while working at Interights. She provided advice and training to NGOs and has conducted workshops in Ukraine and Georgia on international human rights standards.

Prior to coming to the bar, Ruchi worked as a legal officer at JUSTICE for two years, where she led the civil justice program. Her work included co-authoring Delivering Justice in an Age of Austerity (with Sir Stanley Burnton) on the reform of the civil courts and tribunals. She continues to work on civil justice reform in a pro bono capacity.

Ruchi was an Associate Editor of New York University Law School’s legal blog, Just Security, and a Teaching Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies. She has also worked with Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic and the Constitution Unit (UCL).

Expertise

Public Law and Judicial Review
Ruchi has a broad administrative and public law practice, and regularly advises and represents both public bodies and private clients in this area. Her experience spans local government powers, public procurement, education, housing, planning, information and election law.

Recent notable cases include:
- Taylor v Slough BC [2020] EWHC 3520 (Ch): Successfully defending an appeal against a possession order, focused on the Public Sector Equality Duty and the issue of ‘late compliance’ in a social housing context.
- Kingston-upon-Thames RLBC v Moss [2020] EWCA Civ 1381: Test case (on behalf of a consortium of London boroughs) challenging the decision in Jones v London Borough of Southwark on water re-selling (led by Ranjit Bhose QC).
- Christian Peoples Alliance v The Electoral Commission (2019) (Case no. E40CL201): Successfully defending a statutory appeal against the imposition of discretionary monetary penalties for failures to comply with statutory requirements during the 2017 General Election.
- Upson v Mitchell [2019] EWHC 3517 (QB): Successfully defending an election petition which sought to challenge the validity of a town council election result.
- Kitchener-Pope v Governing Body of Peacehaven Community School [2019] EWHC 2666 (Admin): Representing the successful Academy Trust in defeating a judicial review claim challenging the decision to convert a school into an academy.
- Powell v Dacorum BC [2019] EWCA Civ 23: Leading appellate ruling on the context-specific nature of the Public Sector Equality Duty (led by Andy Lane).
- R (Peters) v Haringey LBC [2018] EWHC 192 (Admin): Successfully defending the lawfulness of the Haringey Development Vehicle, in the first High Court ruling on the scope of ‘commercial purpose’ in the context of the ‘general power of competence’ (led by Ranjit Bhose QC).
- R (Morley) v Surrey Heath BC [2017] EWHC 2506 (Admin): Successfully defeating a challenge to the authority’s approach to calculating costs incurred in the enforcement of council tax arrears.
Ruchi is able to advise public body clients at all stages of decision-making, including in relation to equality impact assessments and the proper discharge of its public law duties.

Ruchi is also frequently instructed by central government departments through the Government Legal Department’s ‘Junior Junior’ scheme. She was part of the Cornerstone team advising the Department of Media, Culture and Sport on the implementation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation into domestic law. She was also part of the legal team for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ahead of the public inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy.
- Southwark Gets Tough on Affordable Housing Pledges Again01 Jan 2018
Property
- Overview
- Cases
Ruchi has experience in a number of property law matters and acts on behalf of local authorities and private parties. She has been instructed on a range of issues including service charge disputes, possessions, trespass, tenancy deposits and disrepair.

Most recently, she acted for a housing association (led by Ranjit Bhose QC) in an arbitration relating to the construction of an option agreement and for a local authority (led by Matt Hutchings QC) in securing affordable housing planning obligations that had been breached by the developer/housing association.
- Southwark Gets Tough on Affordable Housing Pledges Again01 Jan 2018
- Haringey HDV Ruled Lawful01 Jan 2018
Planning and Environment
Ruchi has a broad planning law practice spanning judicial reviews, statutory appeals and planning inquiries. She is regularly instructed by local authorities, developers and resident groups across the full range of planning, environment and highway matters.

Ruchi’s experience includes large residential and retail schemes as well as nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs). She has advised on various issues, including policy interpretation, affordable housing requirements, neighbourhood development plans, enforcement, section 106 agreements, and the public sector equality duty (which has played an increasingly important role in planning law in recent years). Ruchi also has experience in enforcing s106 obligations in the County Court/High Court, as well as planning enforcement matters in the Magistrates’ Courts/Crown Court.

Recent and ongoing court cases include:
- Successfully defending outline planning permission for a 300-dwelling development outside the established village settlement boundary (led by Tom Cosgrove QC) in R (Ewans) v Mid Suffolk DC [2021] EWHC 511 (Admin).
- Defending a judicial review challenge against the alleged failure to properly assess impacts on designated heritage assets in R (Chapman) v West Suffolk DC CO/4455/2020.
- Representing local residents in successfully quashing planning permission for residential development where the planning authority had been misled about the weight to be attributed to an emerging neighbourhood plan: R (Powell) v Herefordshire Council CO/3109/2018.
- Resisting a s.288 appeal against the grant of planning permission on behalf of a developer on the basis of alleged non-compliance with notice and publicity requirements (led by Mark Lowe QC).
- Representing a highway authority in a dispute over the highway status of a highly contested parcel of land (led by James Findlay QC).
Recent inquiries and hearings include:
- Two-week inquiry successfully resisting retail development in the setting of a conservation area (led by Richard Ground QC).
- Representing a local authority, in support of the Environment Agency, in resisting redevelopment on a site known for historic groundwater pollution.
- Resisting an extension to a chapel to provide a new crematorium, with a focus on the proper interpretation of national policy on the extension of buildings in the Green Belt.
- Acting in numerous appeals against enforcement notices as well as refusals of lawful development certificates.
Recent and ongoing NSIPs include:
- East Anglia ONE North and TWO offshore windfarms (with Michael Bedford QC) (representing the host County Council).
- Representing a host authority for a possible solar farm development.
Housing
Ruchi is experienced in the housing sector, and is regularly instructed by local authorities, housing associations, private landlords and tenants. She has acted in a range of housing law claims including possessions, warrant suspensions, anti-social behaviour, tenancy fraud and injunctions. She has represented local authorities in a number of housing law trials, including in the multi-track, and has experience of appeals in this context. Ruchi has also advised on issues relating to housing allocation schemes.

During pupillage, Ruchi spent time on secondment at a local housing authority.
Licensing
- Overview
- News
Ruchi has a growing practice in licensing law. She recently represented the responsible licensing authority at a hearing concerning We Are Festival. Ruchi has experience in taxi licensing appeals and has also represented the Security Industry Authority in resisting statutory appeals in the Magistrates’ Courts.

Ruchi was a member of the Cornerstone Barristers’ team advising the Fawcett Society on prostitution law, specifically whether the UK should adopt the so-called ‘sex buyer law’, which seeks to criminalise the buyer rather than the seller of sexual services.
Information Law
- Overview
- News
Ruchi is experienced in information law and is regularly instructed to advise and represent both private clients and public bodies in this field. Recent notable cases include Ittihadieh v 5-11 Cheyne Gardens RTM Co Ltd & Ors (Court of Appeal) (led by Philip Coppel QC) on the scope of the subject access request provisions in the DPA 1998.

Ruchi has advised a number of clients – including local authorities, private companies and sole traders – on preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and can provide bespoke training in this area.

She frequently advises local authority clients on issues arising from requests for information (under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as well as the Environmental Information Regulations).

Ruchi was also part of the Cornerstone team advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on the implementation of the GDPR into domestic law.
- NEW BRIEFING – Local authorities post COVID-19. All you need to know01 Jul 2020