Legal action over rugby academy
A council which scrapped plans for a £10m rugby
academy on the site of a former prisoner of war camp is
to be taken to the High Court by developers.
Plans for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) centre and housing
at Island Farm near Bridgend were thrown out by the town's
council in January 2005.
They had been approved in 2003 by the council, despite
local opposition.
Island Farm Development Ltd has applied for a judicial
review. The council said it was "inappropriate"
to comment.
The developers have said they are challenging the council's
decision not to sell them land it owned so that the scheme
could proceed.
The council has until 17 May to respond.
The developers have said the council approved the sale
in April 2004, but this decision was reversed in June
when a new coalition took control of the council.
Island Farm Development Ltd (IFDL) have alleged councillors
had not been properly briefed on the issues and they made
their decision in January 2005 based on inadequate and
wrong information.
IFDL filed its judicial review application on Friday
and the High Court will now decide whether to grant the
developers a full hearing.
The WRU's rugby academy would have featured an indoor
arena, weight training facilities, four rugby pitches,
an artificial surface and a 400m running track.
A business park, hotel and 210 houses were also planned
for the rural Island Farm site, south of the A48 in Bridgend.
But after the plans were scrapped early this year, the
WRU pulled out of the scheme, citing a lack of progress.
Environmental campaigners had opposed the development
on the grounds that it would damage wildlife.
A spokesperson for Bridgend council said: "We can
confirm that litigation has commenced. It is inappropriate
to comment further at this time."
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