Harley Ronan

Practice Summary

Harley specialises in advocacy and advice concerning the use and development of land, including planning, property and rating matters.

In the planning context, he frequently acts in planning appeals and in High Court challenges against decisions of local planning authorities and the Secretary of State. His property work spans both landlord and tenant and real property, in particular disputes over easements, rights of way and covenants. In respect to rating, Harley specialises in both advice and advocacy in disputes over liability in Court and the VTE.

Harley’s current and recent work includes:

• A1 Properties (Sunderland) Ltd v Tudor Studios RTM Co Ltd [2024] 3 W.L.R. 601: junior counsel for the Appellant in an appeal to the Supreme Court concerning statutory interpretation and “the right to manage” under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (led by Justin Bates KC)
  
• R. (on the application of Ticehurst Parish Council) v Rother DC [2024] EWHC 3069 (Admin): acting for the Claimant in a judicial review of the decision of a planning committee to grant planning permission for development in an AONB contrary to officer advice
  
• Waterhouse v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2024] EWHC 2628 (Admin): acting for the Appellants in an application under s. 289 TCPA 1990 for permission to appeal the decision of a planning inspector to dismiss an appeal against an enforcement notice
  
• ZAS Ventures Ltd v Leaseholders of 26-40 Bridge Street [2024] CAM/26UC/LSC/2023/0021: acting for various Respondents at trial in an application under s. 27A LTA 1985 concerning a claim for £125,295 of service charges, and successfully obtaining an order that only £475 was payable (together with r. 13 costs in favour of the respondents)
  
• Eights Management Company Ltd v (1) Ingram and (2) Lin [2024] CAM/12UB/LBC/2o23/0009: appearing for the applicant in an application for a determination that a breach of covenant or condition has occurred pursuant to s.168(4) of CLRA 2002
  
• R. (on the application of Clarke-Holland) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 3140 (Admin) | [2024] P.T.S.R. 617: acting (with Paul Brown KC and Nick Grant) in judicial review proceedings concerning the lawfulness of the Home Secretary’s use of permitted development rights to authorise the development of emergency accommodation for asylum seekers
  
• Re Doyle Gardens [2023] LON/00AE/HMF/2023/0019: acting for the respondents in an application for a rent repayment order arising in the context of the COVID19 pandemic and whether that was a “reasonable excuse” for committing an HMO offence
  
• Ali v Kamara-Abu & Navarskis [2023] UKFTT 00580 (PC): acting for the Respondent at trial in a boundary dispute between neighbours and successfully resisting the claim
  
• Orbit Housing Association Ltd v Robert Vernon [2023] UKUT 156 (LC): junior counsel for the successful appellant in a service charge dispute in the Upper Tribunal (led by Justin Bates KC)

Harley is a member of the Attorney General’s “Junior Junior” scheme, and a member of Advocate’s panel of barristers.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Harley worked in legal research and law reform. He obtained a doctorate in law which focused on property law and housing. He was also a Research Assistant in Law Commission’s Property, Family and Trusts team, where he worked on reforming the law of commonhold. Harley also worked at as a Research Assistant at the University of Oxford on a project exploring legal obligations for infrastructure and estate management in new build estates, and as a Research Assistant at the University of Kent on a leasehold reform project for the Welsh Government. Harley also has first-hand experience of local government, working in the Urban and Social Regeneration department of a unitary authority while completing his LLB.

Harley graduated top of his class in Law, and won a number of university awards for his performance in his final year exams. He received one of Gray’s Inn most prestigious Bar course scholarships (the Baroness Hale of Richmond Scholarship). He was also awarded a scholarship by the Erasmus Mundus Consortium to complete a Master’s degree in Urban Studies at the Universities of Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid.