Anthony Crean QC and John Hunter represented Oxford City Council in a claim for judicial review of its decision to designate Oxford Stadium, a former greyhound racing and speedway venue, as a conservation area.
The decision was challenged by the owner of the site on the grounds that the stadium was not an “area”, that the Council had acted for an improper purpose (namely to impede development of the site), that the officer report recommending designation was significantly misleading and that the decision was one that no reasonable planning authority could have come to given the lack of architectural quality of the buildings.
The challenge was dismissed by Mr. Justice Ouseley who held that, whilst the decision was unusual, it could not be said that it was unlawful for the Council to treat the Stadium as an area, nor that it had acted irrationally or for an improper purpose, and the officer’s report had not contained anything that was significantly misleading.
A copy of the judgment is available below and is reported on BBC News here.
