Stuart Bell
Professor Emeritus

Profile

Biography

Professor Emeritus Stuart Bell

LLB (Sheffield), Barrister

In 2006, I was appointed as the first Chair in Law and the founding Head of the Law School here at the University of York.  Subsequently I held the role of Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, sitting on the University Executive Board for nearly a decade.  Previously I was the Eversheds Professor of Environmental Law at Nottingham Trent University where I combined my role as a Professor with a consultancy with the Regulatory Team at Eversheds, the international law firm. I worked for a number of years in the Planning and Environmental Law Departments of two firms of Solicitors. Prior to that, I began my academic career at the University of East Anglia having qualified as a Barrister.

In October 2025 I was accorded the status of Emeritus Professor in York Law School at the University of York.

Research

Overview

My general area of research falls within domestic environmental regulation including waste regulation; contaminated land; nature conservation and ecosystem management; water quality and environmental governance.  Specific research interests include the interaction of private law and statutory regimes and the role of relational contracts in promoting collaborative governance and adaptive management systems in long-term environmental management schemes.  Practical experience includes litigation at all levels (in the civil and criminal courts and Planning Appeals) and working in multi-disciplinary research teams undertaking research projects for UKRI and the European Commission.  I have undertaken funded research on behalf of various departments of the UK Government, the Crown Estate, the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the European Commission and the Australian Government. I have undertaken research into the management of legacy landfill sites in the Coastal Zone around the UK.  I am also a member of the College of Experts supporting the work of the Office for Environmental Protection.

Publications

Selected publications

Books

• S. Bell (Ed.) (Forthcoming): Halsbury’s Laws of England : Vols. 45 and 46 Environmental Law London : Lexis Nexis
• S. Bell, D. McGillivray, O. Pederson, E. Lees & E. Stokes (2024), Environmental Law: 10th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapters in edited collections

• S. Bell (Forthcoming), A Re-evaluation of the effectiveness of the Legal Framework for Carbon Capture and Storage in: J. Gluyas, J. & S. Mathias, S. (eds.), Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide: Geoscience, technologies, environmental aspects and legal frameworks (2nd Ed.) Elsevier Publishing
• S. Bell (2021), Is Your Textbook Still Necessary? in A. Kennedy, A. du Plessis et al (Eds) 'Teaching and Learning in Environmental Law: Pedagogy, Methodology and Best Practice. Edward Elgar Publishing
• S. Bell (2020) Relational Regulation: The Role of Contract and the Evolution of Habitat Protection Legislation in Arvind, T.T. and Steele, J.(eds) Contract Law and the Legislature: Autonomy, expectations and the making of legal doctrine. Hart Publishing, Oxford
• S. Bell (2019), United Kingdom Country Study in E. Lees & J. Vinuales (eds.).Oxford Handbook of Comparative Environmental Law. Oxford University Press

External activities

Overview

• Office for environmental protection - Member of College of Experts
• Editor, Environmental Law Reports
• Editorial Board member, Journal of Planning and Environmental Law

Teaching

Other teaching

Teaching interests

• Legal Skills
• Advanced Legal Skills
• Professionalism and Ethics
• Alternative Dispute Resolution