Legal Challenge and Kidlington Parish Council Grant Application
In late 2023, we made a grant application (£3,000) to Kidlington Parish Council to help cover the costs of a Judicial Review. We have strong support in Kidlington and the surrounding areas: consultations to date demonstrate a majority locally are against a stadium on the Triangle. The Parish Poll which took place in May 2023 clearly demonstrated local views and helped inform the Parish Council’s current position in which it has formally opposed the proposal. We note that the Parish Council had set aside funds to consult residents anyway on this matter. Nonetheless, Oxford United’s owners and the County Council have chosen to proceed with their stadium bid regardless of local opinion and legal advice to suggest this course of action is unlawful.
We believe it is entirely appropriate to request support from the Parish Council to challenge this development on our Green Belt. It is of course up to the Parish Council to decide whether to accept or reject our application.
Recent events and information, however, have influenced our strategy such that, we believe legal action (if still required) will now be more effective at the planning stage. We have, therefore, withdrawn our application to the Parish Council for now, but will apply again in the future if necessary. We believe our application is a justifiable use of funds. It also contrasts to the funds which pro-stadium candidates required Kidlington Parish Council to spend in holding an election (c.£7,000) in December 2022 for candidates who would only stay in position for a matter of months.
Oxford United has promised to contribute to the improvement and upkeep of Stratfield Brake if its new stadium is built on the Triangle. But so far,
the club has shown itself to be an unreliable partner whose funding is at the mercy of its overseas owners. We remain deeply sceptical about the club’s community commitments and its interest in
Stratfield Brake. Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL[1])
money, from the houses due to be built around Kidlington will be available to help fund improvements to sports resources, but it is vital that these are spent with the interests of local people
in mind, not those of Oxford United.
Once again we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support.
Best wishes
Friends of Stratfield Brake