Save Leyton Marsh group left with £20,000 bill after being denied judicial review over Olympic basketball court

The Save Leyton Marsh group must pay the costs after a High Court judge rejected their application for a review, which would have sought to establish whether Waltham Forest Council had acted lawfully in giving planning permission for a temporary basketball court on the green space off Lea Bridge Road.

The Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) plan was controversially approved in February despite a petition against it signed by 1,250 people, with the majority of councillors agreeing with the ODA that the Olympics created "exceptional circumstances".

The protesters had claimed there were no exceptional circumstances because there were several alternative sites at which the athletes could have trained, such as nearby leisure facilities.

But a High Court judge agreed with the council and ODA that the Olympics itself presented such circumstances.

Save Leyton Marsh group spokeswoman Caroline Day said: "It's obviously really disappointing.

"It's absolutely absurd to charge us £20,000. We're a local community group trying to save the marshes with no funds or backing. It's just reached this ridiculous stage where it would be almost comical if it wasn't so serious.

"It's so intimidating and it's to deter people from taking action unless they have thousands and thousands of pounds, so only the rich get justice. That's no justice at all."

She admitted that even if they had been successful in the review it would have made no difference to the site being constructed, but had hoped victory would provide stronger protection for the land in the future.

A council spokesman said: "Essentially what the judge found was that it was an exceptional circumstance because the Olympics comes here every 60 years or so. It shows there was no problem with the planning approval at all." The Guardian is awaiting comment from the ODA.

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