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1:08am Sunday 10th August 2008
Campaigners opposing plans for a new eco-town at Weston Otmoor are planning to take their case to the High Court.
The Weston Front, formed to fight the controversial 15,000 home development, will join forces with fellow anti eco-town protesters, campaigning against a similar development at Middle Quinton near Stratford upon Avon to take the Government to judicial review.
The Weston Front is backed by former tennis British number one Tim Henman's father Tony, who lives in nearby Weston-on-the Green.
He said: "The arguments being put forward to all practical purposes are virtually identical to our case, although we have some additional complaints.
"We have not been told the criteria under which we have been selected as a potential site for an eco-town and we believe the consultation process has been fatally flawed."
The Better Accessible Responsible Development Campaign, which opposes the Middle Quinton scheme is expecting to go before a High Court judge in the next month to determine if there is sufficient evidence for the case to go ahead.
If there is, the Weston Front will join in the legal action as an "interested party" in a bid to get the Government to rethink their plans on eco-towns.
A list of 27 potential sites for eco-towns was originally released by the Government, with a shortlist of 15, including the Weston Otmoor site, announced in April.
The Weston Front claimed the site, which included part of the greenbelt, was inappropriate - and that they had not been told why, or how it was chosen.
Mr Henman said: "We are hoping this will force the Government to either withdraw from the whole process on the basis that it is fatally flawed or they will have to start all over again.
"We are all in agreement that we need more housing and more affordable housing but there are different methods of increasing the housing numbers."
He said houses should be built in Oxfordshire's existing towns, such as Didcot, Banbury, Bicester, Wantage and Witney, rather than on a new site.
Oxfordshire county and Cherwell district councils both oppose the scheme.
Mr Henman said if the action went forward, the Weston Front would apply for their financial costs to be protected, meaning if they were unsuccessful they would not be hit by a huge legal bill for the Government's court costs. It is expected their own legal costs will be in the region of £1,000.
Tom, says...
4:34pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison, England says...
6:03pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison, England says...
7:02pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison, England says...
7:05pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison, England says...
7:11pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Tom, says...
8:44pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison wrote:Mr Ison i think it looks like Rebecca De Mouilpied.Do you remember her?
It's a Gatekeeper,AKA the Hedge Brown.
Tom, says...
8:48pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Mr Ison wrote:Or are you a man of the cloth?
It's a Gatekeeper,AKA the Hedge Brown.
gary, oxfordshire says...
8:52pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Tom wrote:Tom, in the morning I'm cancelling my Oxford mail subscirpion. I will never purchase another Oxford mail for as long as I shall live. You're absolutely correct in your observation of us the majority being sensored to keep the minorities happy, and yes the should be ashamed of themselves, and yes they are traitors to themselves and their families and more importantly us, speak the truth about ethnic minorities and you'll be sensored. What a disgrace Oxford mail, hang your head in shame. Muslims in the UK are trying their best to bring about civil war. I just tell it as I see it. I expect the soviet Oxford Mail to now delete my comments.
I ask myself today..... Why bother commenting in this rag that is the Oxford Mail?. Censorship is rife,they do not like to upset the minoriy,so censor the majority who are sick and tired of being criminally mistreated. You should be ashamed of yourselves, as traitors to your own city and your own families.
Tom, says...
8:56pm Sun 10 Aug 08
gary wrote:The Israelis have the right idea.No PC crap there.I get my international news from the JPOST.
Tom wrote: I ask myself today..... Why bother commenting in this rag that is the Oxford Mail?. Censorship is rife,they do not like to upset the minoriy,so censor the majority who are sick and tired of being criminally mistreated. You should be ashamed of yourselves, as traitors to your own city and your own families.Tom, in the morning I'm cancelling my Oxford mail subscirpion. I will never purchase another Oxford mail for as long as I shall live. You're absolutely correct in your observation of us the majority being sensored to keep the minorities happy, and yes the should be ashamed of themselves, and yes they are traitors to themselves and their families and more importantly us, speak the truth about ethnic minorities and you'll be sensored. What a disgrace Oxford mail, hang your head in shame. Muslims in the UK are trying their best to bring about civil war. I just tell it as I see it. I expect the soviet Oxford Mail to now delete my comments.
Tom, says...
8:58pm Sun 10 Aug 08
gary, oxford says...
9:12pm Sun 10 Aug 08
Tom wrote:thanks for that tom,we should be going mad.
extremism.....even.
ricky, Oxford says...
9:33pm Sun 10 Aug 08
paul, says...
9:40pm Sun 10 Aug 08
mike, says...
9:58pm Sun 10 Aug 08
peter, london says...
9:58am Mon 11 Aug 08
gary, oxford says...
10:08am Mon 11 Aug 08
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John W. Whitworth, Oxon says...
9:57am Sun 10 Aug 08
The Weston Front want eco-towns built where they are wanted by local people and where they are sustainable, ie not where they wreck countryside and cause gridlock.