The judicial review brought by Friends of Stratfield Brake is deeply disappointing, but not entirely surprising.
Let’s be absolutely clear: Oxford United’s new stadium application has been one of the most scrutinised, detailed and rigorously assessed planning applications I have ever seen. Time and time again, the Club was required to provide further evidence, undertake additional studies, answer questions, address concerns and jump through countless hoops. Every stage of the process was examined in extraordinary detail.
After years of consultation, professional assessment and democratic scrutiny, Cherwell District Council made its decision and granted planning permission. That decision was not taken lightly. It followed extensive consideration by planning officers, experts and elected councillors who weighed all of the evidence before them.
Now, a small group of individuals are seeking to overturn that democratic decision through the courts. While everyone has the right to pursue legal avenues available to them, it is important to recognise what is at stake. Continued delays create uncertainty for the Club, its supporters, local businesses and the wider community that stands to benefit from this once-in-a-generation investment.
Oxford United has confirmed it will robustly defend the decision alongside Cherwell District Council, and both parties have requested that the High Court expedites the case so that unnecessary delays can be minimised.
I remain firmly supportive of the new stadium project. It will secure Oxford United’s long-term future, bring significant economic benefits to the area, create jobs, improve sporting facilities and deliver substantial investment into our local communities.
The planning process has been followed. The evidence has been examined. The decision has been made democratically.
It is now time to allow that decision to move forward. #OUFC
Fans representing all nine Premier League clubs who’ve been involved in Europe this season join forces to call on TNT to make Saturday’s Champions League final free to watch. “Football is for the fans. We stand together in support of the tradition of European club competition finals being shown free to air and urge TNT to honour this tradition by making the Champions League final free to watch for millions of fans, as it always has been.
"This is bigger than any one club or match. This is about putting fans first. There is still time to make the right call.” Statement/plea also backed by the Football Supporters' Association and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Fans’ groups:
Arsenal Supporters Trust
Aston Villa Supporters Trust
Citizens Trust – Manchester City Supporters Trust
Chelsea Supporters Trust
Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association
Newcastle United Supporters Club & Trust
Nottingham Forest Supporters Trust
Spirit of Shankly
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust
@WeAreTheFSA
Unemployment is now 5% and only half of under-25s are in paid employment.
Every Labour leadership contender should have a coherent answer to how we can reverse these trends and avoid creating a lost generation of young people.
Today's @thetimes column👇
https://t.co/Bnli5IcVry
Ricky Gervais SLAMS UK Government For Banning His Dutch Barn Ads! 🔥
“I am f*cking sick and tired of the powers that be banning my f*cking billboards and adverts for Dutch Barn.”
“Cowardly f*cking c*nts.”
“F*ck the censors.”
In the rant, Gervais exposes the ridiculous hypocrisy: one ad was banned for simply saying “One day you’ll be underground for good,” because it might make people “drink to excess,” while the government also won’t let him use official health warnings about alcohol’s dangers.
This is classic UK nanny-state overreach, terrified of both fun and truth, too cowardly to let adults make their own choices.
Gervais is right to tell them to f*ck off. 👏🏻
HORRIFIC…WELCOME TO KEIR STALIN’S BRITAIN…
A BRITISH GIRL screams “HELP ME! THEY’RE GOING TO RAPE ME” as two Afghan asylum seekers drag her…which she recorded on her phone.
Lawyers are BLOCKING the footage because “It would cause RIOTS across Britain”
This day was always going to come, with a judicial review requested by FOSB.
We urge all #oufc fans to act carefully & with thought when interacting in person or via social media with anyone from opposing groups.
It is key we portray our club & our community positively. 💛💙
🏟️ Another delay. Another attempt to block progress.
I've just heard about the FOSB campaign group who have launched a legal challenge against Oxford United’s new #OUFC stadium project despite the project already being approved through the proper democratic planning process. Let’s be clear: this is nothing more than a delay tactic.
This application has been scrutinised for years, more so than any other project I know of in #Oxfordshire, with extensive consultation, expert reports, and a decision taken by elected councillors. Yet instead of respecting that outcome, a small group is now trying to drag it through the courts, raising issues that have already been considered in detail.
I sincerely hope this legal challenge is thrown out swiftly so the club can get on with delivering a project that Oxfordshire needs.
The reality is simple. Oxford United needs a new home. Without it, the long-term future of the club is at risk along with the jobs, investment and opportunities this once-in-a-generation project will bring to our area.
What’s particularly striking for me is the irony here. The same voices putting huge energy into trying to block this stadium are largely silent while Kidlington is being surrounded by thousands of new homes through the Cherwell Local Plan proposals backed by the very same councillors.
And it doesn’t stop there. Some of the very councillors raising concerns about occasional match day road closures, that will be in place for safety reasons, were more than happy to support congestion charge measures in Oxford that restrict everyday journeys for all residents.
Residents deserve consistency not selective outrage. We cannot allow a cycle of delay, uncertainty and costly legal wrangling to derail a project that has overwhelming support and real benefits for our communities.
@TimWalkerOUFC Couldn't agree more, I gave up mid-way through all the hospitality options as 'not applicable' wasnt an option! The questions were irrelevant to most fans.
Confirmation that fosb have absolutely nothing new in their arguments against the stadium.
A Judicial Review would be based on CDC not following the law.
The relevant authority for each argument has signed off on the stadium
They are wasting a lot of other people's cash #oufc
@OUFCyellow Not sure where that came from. West Brom's figures got announced yesterday, revenue = £30m, with a much bigger ground than ours would be...
Please RT the below:
A few points about the FoSB donation appeal feel misleading.
🔹 None of the listed bullet points would meet the legal threshold for a Judicial Review, yet the website doesn’t explain the strict grounds actually required for a JR to proceed.
🔹 The bluebell photo used is from Stratfield Brake east, an area completely unaffected by the development.
Presenting incomplete or inaccurate information risks misleading people who may wish to donate.
#OUFC