Campaigners crowd fund £9k ahead of launch of car parking judicial review

Campaigners have raised more than £9,000 through crowdfunding in just a few days as they prepare to challenge a Hertfordshire local authority's grant of planning permission for a multi-storey car park.

Dacorum Borough Council granted planning permission for the 327-space car park in Berkhamsted on 22 December 2016.

The money raised through the Crowd Justice site will be used to pay Landmark Chambers to prepare the paperwork for a hearing over the validity of the decision.

A barrister at the set has already given a preliminary legal view, suggesting that there were grounds for a judicial review as the council failed to take into account two material considerations:

• The planning officer "failed to demonstrate that there is a clear demand for more parking”, with an urban transport plan requiring "a full parking analysis" to ensure that there is demand for more spaces; and
• The officer failed “to assess the extent to which a multi-storey car park development is supported by the Site Allocations Development Plan Document”.

The campaigners have set a stretch target of £25,000, which they consider will be the amount needed to fight the case to a conclusion.