Legal challenge against new DCC County HQ on the Sands
Legal challenge against new DCC County HQ on the Sands
Latest: July 9, 2019
Council opposition to HQ plans continues despite judicial review refusal
The City of Durham Parish Council will be continuing its opposition to the plans for the new County Headquarters at the Sands despite not being granted leave to apply for a judicial review by High Co…
Read moreThe City of Durham Parish Council is seeking a judicial review against Durham County Council’s decision to relocate their County Headquarters to the Sands.
The plans to relocate the County Council Headquarters from its current site of Aykley Heads to a new building on the Sands car park have faced overwhelming opposition from across County Durham and beyond. In addition to a call-in request from the City of Durham Parish Council and other local bodies, a change.org campaign amongst residents requesting that the Secretary of State call in the application had reached over 4,700 signatures.
The City of Durham Parish Council has vowed to continue the fight against the new £50 million County Headquarters on the Sands after the Secretary of State decided not to call in the application.
Members of the public have expressed anger at the impact the proposals would have on the local area and the City. Well-established and Saved Local Plan policies have been disregarded and there has been an avoidance of any accountability whatsoever to the welfare of the residents of Durham City and the fabric of the City. The Parish Council has vowed to continue our fight and fight on we shall.
People far and wide have expressed their opposition to these plans and we want them to know that the City of Durham Parish Council will continue to be a voice for this City. The impact of the proposed new £50m County HQ on our much-loved World Heritage site, our local amenity, traffic flows, parking, local residents and our environment will be hugely damaging.
Help us to fight these plans by donating to this cause today.
Get updates about this case
Subscribe to receive email updates from the case owner on the latest news about the case.
Be a promoter
Your share on Facebook could raise £26 for the case
I'll share on FacebookCity of Durham Parish Council
July 9, 2019
Council opposition to HQ plans continues despite judicial review refusal
The City of Durham Parish Council will be continuing its opposition to the plans for the new County Headquarters at the Sands despite not being granted leave to apply for a judicial review by High Court Judge.
The Parish Council will not be pursuing a renewal application for judicial review into the plans but will employ an expert to survey otter activity at the Sands and will also be objecting to plans to de-register the Common Land currently used as a coach park.
At this time, the Parish Council wishes to thank everyone for their donations to the CrowdJustice fundraising campaign and for their continued support in opposing these plans.
City of Durham Parish Council
May 3, 2019
Parish Council going for the 'stretch' target of £45,000
A big thank you to everybody who has donated to our appeal. We reached our initial target of £4,000 in only four days, with donations ranging from £10 to £1,000. This shows the breadth of support we have. With matched funding from the Parish Council we now have enough to apply to the Court for permission to apply for a Judicial Review. Getting permission would mean that a judge agrees the Parish Council has an arguable case to take forward.
Our solicitors have already written a formal letter to the Council setting out our case and asking them to quash the planning permission. The Council have promised a reply by Tuesday 7th May and, while we hope they will concede at this point, our solicitors are already building the case to put to the judge to make sure we get permission. We have until 13th May to file the papers with the Court.
Once permission has been granted, and we are hopeful that if it gets that far it will be, then it will be several months before the full case comes to Court. This will cost many tens of thousands of pounds, and our further, more ambitious ‘stretch’ target of £45,000 is to help fund this.
There is more information about the judicial review process on our solicitors’ website at https://www.richardbuxton.co.uk/the-law/judicial-review-process
Please continue to share, promote and donate to our CrowdJustice campaign using the link below:
https://www.crowdjustice.com/
Get updates about this case
Subscribe to receive email updates from the case owner on the latest news about the case.
Recent contributions