David Lloyd, the former tennis star, emerged winner in new legal moves in his fight for planning permission to set up a racquets and fitness club with associated parking and a community park on land at Helen Road Sports Ground in Gidea Park, Essex. The application must now be reconsidered by the DETR in the light of todays ruling.
Allowing the appeal, Schiemann LJ said that the explanations which the inspector had given for his decision were not clear.
“He seems to be giving enormous weight to the fact that two football pitches were going to be re-located elsewhere, one a couple of hundred metres further away, and no weight at all to the enormous improvement in sporting facilities which clearly would be provided on the site”, he said.
R v Secretary of State for the Environment Transport & the Regions and another, ex parte Next Generation Clubs Ltd Court of Appeal (Schiemann & Mance LJJ & Smith J) 10 October 2000
Peter Village (instructed by Howard Kennedy) appeared for the appellant; Nathalie Lieven (instructed by Treasury Solicitor) appeared for the first respondent; the second respondent did not appear and was not represented.
PLS News 10/10/00
