The future of an Oxford shopping complex is at the centre of a High Court dispute between Oxford City Council and the deputy prime minister, John Prescott. The council are challenging Prescott’s decision to block the radical redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre on the ground that it would damage Oxford’s skyline.
Oxford City Council, together with The Westgate Partnership, are asking Harrison J to quash Prescott’s decision to refuse permission for the development, which they claim would bring an extra £45m of trade into the city each year.
Prescott, who is the minister responsible for planning matters, refused consent for the scheme on the basis that the plans would “create a massive and overbearing development which is out of scale and sympathy with its surroundings”.
The council and Westgate claim that this conclusion was not open to the deputy prime minister on the evidence, and, in particular, that he was wrong to disagree with his own planning inspector in finding that the proposal would damage the city’s famous skyline, and to find that the development site does not fall fully within the city centre.
The council also contend that it will be difficult to form their new local plan and to decide further planning applications relating to the shopping centre because they are “unable to understand” the deputy prime minister’s reasoning.
Defending his decision, the deputy prime minister said that his reasoning was perfectly adequate to an informed reader.
Harrison J is expected to reserve his decision in the case.
Oxford City Council and another v First Secretary of State Queen’s Bench Division (Harrison J) 27 February 2003.
References: PLS News 27/2/03
