Port Meadow case lodged at High Court
9th May 2013 / / Comments Off on Port Meadow case lodged at High Court
9th May 2013
This week we have formally lodged an application with the High Court seeking a Judicial Review of the planning permission for the University accommodation blocks at Port Meadow.
The move follows unprecedented levels of support from the local community, with over £10,000 donated to the campaign in the first week of fundraising to meet legal costs. Helen Marshall, Director of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “The public support has been fantastic. It shows the level of anger people feel about this development and the harm it has done to such a beautiful site. However, there is still a long way to go to reach our campaign fund target of £50,000 so we hope people’s generosity will continue.
“It is not easy for a charity to take on two institutions such as Oxford City Council and Oxford University, but we feel that this is a case we must pursue. There have been serious flaws in the process, particularly around the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment. The result is a development that is hugely damaging and no one as yet seems willing to face up to the consequences.
“We have an initial hurdle to get over which is that a Judge may consider too much time has already elapsed, but this is of course arguable, and beyond that we believe we have a strong case.”
If a Judicial Review were to go ahead and find in CPRE’s favour, Oxford City Council would be forced to issue a discontinuance order. Oxford University would then have to re-apply for planning permission, this time with a full Environmental Impact Assessment.
Please donate to the Save Port Meadow campaign. Thank you.