The University of Leeds has won a High Court challenge to Leeds council’s Unitary Development Plan (UDP), which it claimed was blocking development on University playing fields.
Mr Justice Richards quashed the council’s decision to set aside land at Lawnswood to the south of Bodington Hall, Weetwood, as open land within Policy N11 of the UDP. The council’s decision was made after plans for a major shopping complex on the site were shelved.
Richards said that the Universitys challenge was “well-founded” and that the council had proceeded on a “material misdirection”.
The University had backed original plans to build a business and retail park, with a park-and-ride system linked to the citys supertram project on University-owned land.
It claimed it had been “substantially prejudiced” by the councils decision, which it said prevented any development, even the building of changing rooms and other buildings that could be used at the playing fields.
Today, backing the University, the judge said the council had adopted a “mistaken and unreasonable interpretation” of the inspectors report, and its decision not to reopen the public inquiry had been based, in part, on that “misdirection”.
EGi News 25/04/02
