Our day in court

A legal challenge to plans by the Home Office to amend the Epping Forest Act, which protects Wanstead Flats and stands in the way of the proposed Olympics police base, will soon come to court. The hearing will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.

Since June 2010, local residents have been fighting plans to allow the Metropolitan police to base its Olympics operational centre on the Flats in 2012. In order to push this proposal through, the Home Office has needed to amend an Act of Parliament that has protected Wanstead Flats from enclosure and development for well over a century.

The order amending the Epping Forest Act was passed with little debate by Parliament some months ago. However, the Save Wanstead Flats campaign has continued to argue that because the consultation carried out by the Home Office was so poor and denied local people a proper chance to challenge the decision, it should be overturned. One resident has therefore taken on the Home Office by seeking a judicial review of the consultation process – and the case will shortly be considered by the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.

The weekday hearing date has not yet been finalised but as soon as it is, we plan a PROTEST OUTSIDE THE COURT and local residents will be able go in and witness the hearing.

Do download this small PDF the of judicial review to email your contacts or even print off a few copies to distribute to you neighbours.