TRASH campaigners who are fighting plans for a new supermarket at the Memorial Stadium have been accused of misleading people over the success rate of legal challenges. Campaigners claim on their website: "The grounds of the claim are good. We are advised by conservative lawyers that prospects of success are greater than 50 per cent." But Bristol North West Tory MP Charlotte Leslie has questioned this claim as a result of statistics which have been given in the House of Commons. Ms Leslie said: "I am concerned that TRASH are asking for money to fund their legal case and claiming their chances of success are greater than 50 per cent. I am not sure how this squares with the fact that the statistical success rate of judicial reviews on planning matters was as low as 3 per cent as recently as 2011. But this fact is omitted from the TRASH website, in its request for money. Donors should have been made aware of this before being asked to part with cash. I am worried they are being misled." In November last year, Labour MP Frank Dobson was given a written reply on judicial reviews on planning issues which shows about one third of them pass the first stage and win a full hearing â but of these, the success rate ranges from 3 per cent to 11.5 per cent during the past five years. Green councillor Daniella Radice, a spokesman for TRASH, said she would respond after the story had been published. She said campaigners have several points to make. Ms Leslie said it was "galling" that the same no-win, no-fee Cambridge-based solicitors who were involved in Bristol City Football Club's stadium plans at Ashton Vale are now acting for TRASH. She said: "Yet again our city is being hijacked by minority-interest groups who fan fears and seem to want to deny the progress the people of Bristol want and need. I will be asking questions in Parliament and we will keep the fight going in Bristol." Taken from the post. The bid i put in bold I found interesting!
It can't be too long before the JR judge rules on whether there's a case to answer or not. I think it was 12 weeks from when the JR request was submitted and that was at least 8 weeks ago.
In todays post....... BRISTOL Rovers will lose at least £1 million if the row over Sainsbury’s buying the Memorial Stadium goes to judicial review, it has been revealed. Chairman Nick Higgs told the BBC that a judicial review would be a “money pit of legal fees and delays” and said that some community facilities at the stadium might have to be temporarily suspended so the club could pay for it. Meanwhile, MP for Bristol North West Charlotte Leslie, who is supporting the club, is to raise the issue of judicial reviews in Parliament today. She will ask David Cameron during Prime Minister’s Question Time for clarification over how they can be used and whether it is right that a small group can hold up an important development. (see chris's youtube clip ) http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristo...sue-judicial/story-20039786-detail/story.html
Cameron will do sod all. He's effectively patting one of his junior backbenchers on the head and saying 'well done, now run along..' But fair play to Charlotte for getting stuck in and supporting our club, it's about time someone did.
David Cameron said when he was elected that major construction sites should all be given the green light as they create jobs. And yet us and now you lot have a major construction sites waiting to go. There is a huge knock on effect when these bigger construction sites get going, right down to someone raking it in by placing a bacon house outside selling their sandwiches to the workers. Whilst they read the papers bought from the local newsagents smoking their cigarettes. Then going for a pint after to the local pub. My only hope out of this is these twats protesting have kids sat at home complaining that there is no work for them to do and the government ain't doing enough to get unemployment down.
Could not agree more ROD. I don't think this will get past the High Court judge's decision. We must respect that the law in place is designed to protect those who have a genuine grievance that must be aired through the legal procedure. BUT, the TRASH group have not raised any new evidence. It's all old ground regurgitated. AND their demand for a JR against the process is pretty lean to say the least. IMO this is just a group of do-gooders looking for political mileage who have got it sadly wrong and hopefully will pay severely at the next vote count. If the Greens really thought this was a great idea, their big guns would be getting their heads above the parapet!
it will cost us a million as prices for materials are going up so the delays are costing rovers now as well as the tax payer.
It's simply a delaying tactic by miserable sods who have thrown a strop because their particular brand of Luddite politics has been rejected at the ballot box. The Greens are such idiots. I actually have time for some of their policies regarding clean energy production and social justice, but would now never vote/support them after this disgraceful manipulation of judicial procedure.
