We have just learnt that The High Court has refused our application for permission to appeal and apply for a judicial review of South Norfolk Council’s decision to grant planning permission for the expansion of Gillingham services (granted on 25^th July 2025). This was our last chance to gain permission for our legal challenge, so nothing further can now be done.

Although very disappointed to receive this news, we do so in the knowledge that we did our utmost to overturn or at the very least, revise a planning decision which will ultimately contribute to the decline in Gillingham’s open spaces and the loss of many wildlife and habitats.

Of course, we would never have been able to launch this appeal without the generosity of the many individuals and local businesses who collectively raised the £10,000+ necessary to commit to this challenge and we once again thank everyone involved for their trust and support.

The Crowd Justice fundraising site for this appeal will now officially close but The Friends of Gillingham (Norfolk) Community Interest Company remains very much active and the mission statement to identify and raise awareness of any issues that may adversely impact the local countryside and our village life remains foremost.

We may not have been able to stop this expansion but can and will ensure that if or when it does happen, all the agreed planning stipulations are strictly and correctly implemented.   

Thanks and best regards

The Friends of Gillingham (Norfolk) Countryside Community Interest Company

When we last posted in February, our initial application to the Administrative Court requesting permission to apply for a Judicial Review Hearing had been denied, and we were preparing to appeal this decision via an oral hearing.

As you may have seen in local news coverage, the oral hearing did in fact take place and was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on 24^th March although the outcome was subject to an embargo order and the decision was not made public until 31^st March.

Unfortunately, the outcome was once again, not what we were expecting, and the Judge ruled against us on all five contested points of law.

This left us with a real dilemma – give up now, or fight on?   

WE ALWAYS KNEW THIS WAS A DAVID AND GOLIATH BATTLE, SO WE ARE FIGHTING ON!

In order to exhaust all avenues, last Thursday, 9^th April, Friends of Gillingham Community Interest Company filed what will be the last and final appeal for permission to request a Judicial Review Hearing.  This decision to appeal the outcome of the oral hearing was reached after lengthy discussion with our steadfast legal team who remain confident and ever encouraging, but also in acknowledgement of the support and trust we have received from many local people and businesses who feel that the decision to permit this development was wrong and who have already supported us with generous financial contributions.  

This last and final Appeal will determine whether we are able to put our full case to Judicial Review in the High Court.  We are extremely appreciative of all donations made to date on our Crowd Justice Page as they have enabled us to have confidence to continue the fight!

Whilst our costs for the earlier stages have been capped (as noted previously), should we lose our case at the final stage the costs are likely to increase by several thousand pounds as well as incurring court fees for each hearing.  As a consequence, we kindly request that you dig deep and consider further donations to help in our fight.  

Many thanks again for your interest and support.  We ask that you please share our message widely!

After many weeks of waiting, we have been notified that our initial application to the Administrative Court requesting permission to apply for a Judicial Review Hearing, has not met with a favourable response.

This is clearly not the ruling we were expecting and it has taken a little while for us to properly process and decide on the next steps. The Administrative Court’s decision is not final at this stage and can be appealed by means of an Oral Hearing, although we note that this process will incur  additional costs. 

The Friends of Gillingham (Norfolk) Community Interest Company, are steadfast not only in our resolve to protect our village’s green open spaces, biodiversity and local rural environment, but also in our appreciation of the support of many individuals and businesses who have put their trust in us by pledging their financial support to get us this far.  It is because of these people and with the continued encouragement and guidance of our brilliant legal team who remain confident in our cause, that we have decided to appeal. The cost of this next step is limited in nature although we will need to cover the Court costs and a minimal legal fee.

To this end an Oral Permission Hearing (Royal Courts of Justice) has been set by the Courts for Tuesday 24^th March 2026 when we will be represented by Barrister, Charles Streeten. At the hearing, we will have the opportunity to put forward each of our five grounds to the Judge assigned to hear our case, our aim being to renew our claim for Judicial Review.

The outcome of the Oral Hearing is usually determined on the day, so fingers crossed that in our next update we will have ‘passed Go’ onto a full Judicial Review!

Any further donations would be gratefully received in order to cover the court fees and legal costs for this hearing, which is likely to total around £1500.