Club Press Release

The club has secured an early date in the High Court to try to move the Falmer issue forward.

In April, the treasury solicitor's offer to concede on one of the grounds put forward in the legal challenge by Lewes District Council was rejected.

However the solicitor then wrote to the High Court offering to concede, and made the point that it is not in anyone's interest for this matter to proceed to a substantive hearing which just increases the cost and worst of all for the Albion, is causing totally unnecessary delay.

Martin Perry said, "Lewes District Council know they are delaying the process and have deliberately refused to accept this position, so the Albion have made an application to the High Court, asking for a Case Management Conference before a Judge to explain why the decision by John Prescott should now be quashed immediately and the matter referred back to the new Secretary of State, Ruth Kelly as soon as possible."

The Court Service has agreed to this request and the matter will be heard in the Administrative Court on 4th October 2006.

Albion Chief Executive Perry added, "Once the Treasury Solicitor conceded that there was a technical error in John Prescott's decision it was totally unnecessary for the matter to proceed to a full hearing in the Court.

"As a matter of procedure under the Inquiry Rules the new Secretary of State must write to all the interested parties and ask whether there are any other matters she should consider before making her decision on our planning application.

"This is the opportunity that Lewes District Council will have to raise the other points they raised in their Challenge, We do not believe there is any merit in the other points, but for sure we will be raising all of them because we want to make sure that her decision is fire-proof second time around.

"Lewes know they will have this opportunity and yet they still insist that it goes to a substantive hearing. Why? Because they simply want to delay it as long as they can.

"We have put Lewes on warning that if the matter does go to a full hearing and we incur unnecessary expense, we will be seeking to recover our costs from them through the Court. This could cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds. They are gambling with council tax payers' money simply by trying to delay the inevitable for as long as they can.

"We have made an offer to Lewes to amend the wording of the Consent Order which they are still refusing to accept.

"We are all sick of their obstructive, contentious behaviour and many people who live in Lewes are now fed up with the way in which their council is behaving. LDC have been given their opportunity to make their case at two public inquiries. They have secured a victory in getting the first decision quashed. They should now stop prevaricating and allow this whole matter to move forward."