We know you’re reading this.
Friends of Stratfield Brake, Ian Middleton, Victoria Campbell, Suzanne McIvor, Steve Hill — let’s drop the pretence. It’s over.
The Secretary of State has spoken. No call-in, no pause, no intervention. The highest level of planning scrutiny available in this country has looked at this proposal and said, in effect, “there’s nothing wrong with it.” That’s the end of the road for political obstruction.
You’ve had your say. You’ve had three years of meetings, leaflets, petitions, and public statements. Every concern has been tested, answered and conditioned. The Environment Agency signed off. Natural England signed off. National Highways signed off. The County Council signed off. Even the Government saw no reason to interfere. What more do you want — divine intervention?
So here’s the blunt truth: a Judicial Review won’t save you. It can’t re-argue planning policy, it can’t re-run the evidence, and it can’t overturn expert judgement just because you don’t like the outcome. At best, it will waste months. At worst, it will waste your supporters’ money.
Oxford United isn’t the villain here. The club has gone through the system the right way — consultation after consultation, transparency at every stage. The stadium has local backing, community benefit, transport planning, and environmental mitigation all locked into the legal agreement. It will deliver jobs, youth sport, and a new public gateway to Kidlington that actually serves the people who live here.
So ask yourselves this: what are you fighting for now? Because it isn’t the environment, and it certainly isn’t Kidlington. It’s pride — and pride doesn’t justify dragging this community through more months of bitterness and division.
You’ve lost the argument, the evidence, and the policy battle. Show some dignity. Step back, stop the posturing, and let Oxford United build the future.
The people of Oxfordshire have moved on. It’s time you did too.