Judicial review
A legal challenge to the government’s plans for ecotowns has failed in the high court.
The Bard Campaign, a group set up to oppose plans for an eco-town at Stratfordupon- Avon’s Long Marston site, brought a judicial review, claiming the government had failed to consult properly before short-listing 15 sites for development, and should have carried out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) at an earlier stage.
However, Mr Justice Walker held that the government consultation, Eco-towns Living a Greener Future, published in April 2008, was lawful, and that an SEA was not required at that stage. Simon Ricketts, head of SJ Berwin’s planning and environmental group, who acted for Bard, said his client was likely to apply for leave to appeal.
