HOUSE OF FRASER GRANTED LEAVE TO CHALLENGE MINISTER'S REFUSAL TO REQUIRE FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR SPRUCEFIELD DEVELOPMENT, NORTHERN IRELAND

Lord Justice Girvan sitting in the High Court in Belfast has granted House of Fraser, operators of the Victoria Square shopping centre in Belfast, leave to bring judicial review proceedings against the decision by the Environment Minister not to require further environmental information in connection with the presence of bats and badgers on the site of the proposed Sprucefield shopping centre outside of Lisburn. Leave was also granted in respect of an additional claim that the minister had acted with apparent bias.

The Sprucefield development is intended to be anchored by a John Lewis Store.  The planning application was due to go to public inquiry before the Planning Appeals Commission.  This has been postponed pending the outcome of the expedited substantive high court hearing listed for December 2010. 

House of Fraser were represented by Gregory Jones BL and William Orbinson QC (Instructed by Carson McDowell)

A copy of the judgment on the leave hearing can be found at http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CD1DF16-2CF3-4D4A-AA1E-410D9BD00037/0/j_j_GIR7962Final.htm