PORT MEADOW campaigners have formally lodged an application for a judicial review of planning permission granted to Oxford University for accommodation blocks in Roger Dudman Way.

The Oxfordshire Branch of the Campaign To Protect Rural England raised more than £10,000 in the first week of a campaign to cover legal costs. The group needs to raise £50,000 as it moves ahead with its legal challenge, after campaigners failed to persuade the university to reduce by two storeys the size of the Castle Mill accommodation blocks, which they say have ruined historic views of the city from Port Meadow.

Helen Marshall, director of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “The public support has been fantastic.”

A successful judicial review would mean Oxford City Council could be forced to issue a discontinuance order. The university would then need to re-apply for permission, this time with a full environmental impact assessment. But it could also leave the council open to compensation claims.