OXFORD City Council has revealed it spent more than £7,500 on contesting the judicial review against its decision to build a new swimming pool in Blackbird Leys.

Plans to build the pool were approved in July 2011 but it has been hit by setbacks, including two judical reviews.

The Leys pool project would see Temple Cowley Pools closed and the land sold off to part-fund building the new pool.

Campaigners against the planned closure launched several petitions in a bid to halt the plans and last October Headington resident Nigel Gibson asked a High Court judge to review the decision.

Under the Freedom of Information Act the city council is revealed to have spent £7,570 on counsel’s and court fees to date.

In August Mr Gibson was refused permission to apply for another judicial review by a High Court judge.

He appealed and a hearing will take place to decide the matter in December.

The council estimates that its officers across all departments have spent a total of 55 hours working on its defence since the application was lodged, but this is described as a “conservative” estimate.