Oxford United can confirm that a High Court Judge has refused permission for judicial review relating to the planning permission for the Club’s proposed new stadium.
Having reviewed the papers submitted, the Judge’s Order concluded that the claimant’s grounds of challenge were “not reasonably arguable.” Specifically, the arguments relating to the woodland adjacent to the proposed site were deemed “unsustainable”, whilst the ground concerning matchday traffic measurement measures provided no valid basis for judicial review.
The Claimant, Friends of Stratfield Brake, has now served a renewal notice, asking the Court to reconsider its refusal and to list the case at an oral renewal hearing. A date for this has not yet been scheduled, although the Court’s target is for oral renewal hearings to be heard within one month from the receipt of a renewal notice.
Oxford United continues to work closely with Cherwell District Council to ensure the Court fully understands the strength of the planning decision and why a substantive judicial review hearing is unnecessary. The Club remains confident that the claim will ultimately be dismissed.
