Wednesday 9 September 2009

Media Release

Costs awarded to Sports Park

Legal costs relating to a High Court Judicial Review held earlier this year have been awarded to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park Trust.

The Trust received $7969 from Justice Millar, following the hearing which was brought by the Hawke’s Bay Land Protection Society. The Society sought to have the $2million Sports Park athletics track ripped up and the consent for the Grandstand overturned.

“There was no point in even having a High Court judicial review because two months later we were back in the Environment Court, again at the behest of the Land Protection Society,” says Sports Park Trust Chair Lawrence Yule.

In his ruling Justice Millar noted that the Land Protection Society had “never answered why it had chosen a judicial review rather than the Environment Court before which it had an appeal pending.”

“There was virtually no prospect of the Society being successful - something we pointed out from day one - and although we have been awarded costs it’s a fraction of the actual expense involved,” says Mr Yule

ENDS