A CAMPAIGN has been launched to raise £50,000 to help families faced with paying costs following a failed public inquiry.

The Save Our St Osyth action group was left with a whopping £122,000 bill in 2016 after challenging controversial development plans for the historic St Osyth Priory site.

Plans by the Sargeant family, who own the priory, were for 142 houses and flats, a visitor centre and a function room on the priory estate.

They were rejected by Tendring Council and the decision was upheld after an inquiry by a government inspector.

But the inspector awarded partial costs against St Osyth Parish Council and the Save Our St Osyth action group, after they both alleged there had been deliberate neglect of the 12th century priory.

Following a two-year battle, the £122,000 bill has been reduced to £56,303.

Save Our St Osyth has now launched a campaign to raise cash to reimburse the group’s committee members.

Save Our St Osyth group spokesman David Smith said: “We are raising funds to repay the SOS committee members who personally paid the costs.

“Following a highly stressful two-year legal battle the punitive cost claim was finally reduced to £56,303 payable immediately to prevent further costs and interest accruing.

“Despite fundraising events and donations received since then, the elected committee members are left paying £47,000 from their own personal savings.

“SOS is still working hard to raise the funds to recoup this amount but is an uphill struggle and we are seeking further support from the community.” Priory owner Tim Sargeant said that if SOS had “campaigned reasonably” they would not have had costs awarded against them.

He added: “They made serious allegations.

“We offered early on into the inquiry to drop our cost claim if they dropped the deliberate neglect allegation, but they chose to ignore this offer and unfortunately subjected everyone to extra and costly days at a public inquiry.

“It is good that local people can campaign for or against development in their community.

“But the website seeking crowd funding has no mention that they were deemed by the inspector to have behaved unreasonably.

“They had the opportunity to avoid these costs if they had only listened to reason, and to suggest that this should put people off campaigning is totally wrong.

“People should not be put off from campaigning fairly and reasonably.”

Plans for 89 homes, a wedding and conference venue, visitor centre and café were agreed in November 2016 after a deal was struck at a planning inquiry with Tendring Council which will see the Sargeant family spend £7.4 million on repairs to the historic buildings.

n To donate, go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/saveourstosythsos.