An community’s groups attempt to get a court injunction to stop Cycle Enfield has failed – leaving them with a £10,000 legal bill.

On Monday, September 19, Save Our Green Lanes (SOGL) faced Enfield Council in the High Court seeking to block the work which has begun on the £42m cycle lanes in Ridge Avenue, the first stage of the A105 section of the scheme, which will connect Enfield Town and Palmers Green.

After a three-hour hearing, the judge ruled in favour of the council, and ordered SOGL to pay the authority’s costs – an identical result to the group’s attempt to have a judicial review of the scheme last month.

Spokesman for SOGL Helen Osman said they will “consider our next steps.”

She said: “This is a true David and Goliath legal fight. The scheme is massively unpopular with local residents and businesses all over the borough but the Council continues regardless. The Enfield Mini Holland scheme is in a real mess.

“The millions of pounds already spent on exhibitions, consultations, and publicity has been an elaborate smokescreen to kid the people of Enfield that they were being consulted.

“Shops and residents want this scheme redesigned to take our concerns into account."

Council spokesperson Andrew Golder said 18 months of consultation and changes to the A105 leg meant it was finally ready for construction, and would benefit “the vast majority of people in the borough.”

He said: “During Monday’s hearing, the Judge made it very clear that the Save Our Green Lanes group had failed to express any grounds that had any merits.

“Save Our Green Lanes has repeatedly failed to persuade independent judges that there is anything flawed about the A105 Cycle Enfield scheme. Instead of working with the Council to identify and address their concerns they have instead resorted to unsuccessful legal action, delaying tactics and spin in a failed attempt to prevent a major regeneration project – which will benefit tens of thousands of people – from taking place.

“The A105 scheme has been heavily modified to reflect the comments made by people living along its route and we are confident that Cycle Enfield will transform our town centres, revolutionise transport and hugely benefit businesses in our borough.

“The decision to proceed with the borough-wide Cycle Enfield proposals is fully supported by Cabinet.”