Judicial review granted over church redevelopment

The battle to protect a church's historic features will be heard in court after a judicial review was agreed to determine if Runnymede Borough Council had failed to protect a valued heritage asset.

The case centres on planning permission granted by the local authority to redevelop the former Christ Church Longcross into flats, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The claimant, former councillor Theresa Burton, has spent years trying to safeguard the church's historically important features, court filings read.

The council said after receiving a "significant" number of complaints over the redevelopment, all enforcement matters raised were "fully considered and investigated".

The decision to go to judicial review was sealed in the High Court on 2 April and all parties have 31 days to present their cases.

Mrs Burton founded the Friends of Christ Church Longcross in 2018 and in early 2019 was invited by the then planning case officer to join the Longcross Garden Village Stewardship Panel.

She said more than 50% of the original stained glass windows had been lost and all remaining "historic glass" removed as part of the development and replaced with uPVC.

The case was about "protecting the heritage of the former church building for the benefit of the local community... as one of only two listed buildings in Longcross Garden Village," she added.

A spokesperson for Runnymede Borough Council said planning permission was granted in February 2020 to convert the building into homes.

They added: "The person seeking a judicial review does not agree with the council's decisions regarding the fenestration in the scheme, and has submitted a number of grounds of challenge to the courts."

The council said allowing a hearing to take place did not indicate the courts agreed with either the council or the claimant's position.

"The council will comply with the requirements of the Judicial Review process and justify the reasons for its decision and the courts," the council spokesperson added.

The judge will consider if the council failed to have regard to material considerations in deciding not to take enforcement action.

The court will also decide if the local authority has failed to consult with relevant parties properly.

The judge will also examine whether the council was wrong in granting listed building consent and failed to apply the considerable weight to harm to listed buildings and the conservation area.

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