It means the near 300-hectare Greencroft Forest Park can now proceed as planned, with planting due to restart this coming winter.

The North East plantation was initially approved by the government agency in early 2025, only to be subject to a Judicial Review in September last year over whether or not it had applied its environmental planning rules appropriately and effectively.

Despite a judge ruling in favour of the FC then, Lanchester Properties – part of the County Durham-based Lanchester Group – demanded an oral hearing to restate its case, which was heard in early June 2026.

Now, a High Court judge has ruled in favour of the Forestry Commission and True North, the asset manager behind the plantation.

Harry Humble, of True North Asset Partners, said: “We are relieved that this positive outcome has been reached and acknowledge the judge’s careful and considered determination.

“It is regrettable that this Judicial Review has taken up so much time and money, tied up valuable court resources and delayed much-needed tree planting in England.

“Now that the case has been resolved, we hope to move forward with the planting and delivering the significant economic, ecological and environmental benefits the forest will bring.

“The case has now been rejected by two High Court judges and has occupied three full days of High Court time, with legal costs exceeding £500,000.

“We sincerely hope this legal process has now come to an end and that Lanchester Properties will accept the High Court’s decision. In time, we hope they will also recognise the value of the forestry scheme and support the lasting benefits it will deliver for the local community.”

In his judgement – published on July 3 – Judge Jonathan Klein found that the Forestry Commission had sufficient information before making its decision. According to the official ruling, the lawyer acting on behalf of Lanchester accepted this, too, even as he continued to challenge its lawfulness.

The Judge wrote: “I have also considered whether the decision was unreasonable and have concluded that it was not.”

The judge further went on to argue that “it does not follow … that afforestation of this extent and nature is almost inevitably likely to have a significant environmental impact”.

Greencroft Forest Park is set to be made up of a total of 31 species and 600,000 individual trees.

A High Court judge ruled in favour of the Forestry Commission. (Image: Stock image)

A Forestry Commission spokesperson said: “We welcome the Court’s judgement, which confirms that the environmental impacts of the proposed Greencroft Forest Park woodland creation scheme were appropriately considered.”

 Lanchester Properties confirmed it was looking to appeal the decision.

Director Caroline Cleary-MacArthur said planting commercial Sitka spruce on this scale and next to villages was “fundamentally wrong”.

Pointing to comments made by Forestry Commission chair Baroness Young last year, Caroline added that “monoculture Sitka Spruce plantations do little to enhance biodiversity, landscape quality or public enjoyment of the countryside”.

She said: “This has never been about opposing trees. It is about ensuring that the right trees are planted in the right places, with genuine local engagement and a fair balance between commercial interests, environmental outcomes and the communities that live with the consequences.”

Airdrie Islamic Centre hosted the festivities, which were organised by Friends of Airdrie and Coatbridge Islamic Centre (FACIC) and North Lanarkshire Muslim Women and Family Alliance (NLMWFA).

Around 400 people from across North Lanarkshire lapped up the sensational sights and sounds of the vibrant latest Community Connections Day.

Airdrie Islamic Centre hosted the festivities, which were organised by Friends of Airdrie and Coatbridge Islamic Centre (FACIC) and North Lanarkshire Muslim Women and Family Alliance (NLMWFA).

The aim of the gathering was to celebrate “togetherness, diversity, and neighbourly spirit”.

People from all walks of life and different ethnic backgrounds came together in an atmosphere filled with warmth, friendship and genuine community connection.

Dr Irfan Jehangir, FACIC chairperson, said: “Men, women and children attended throughout the day, creating a welcoming and lively environment that reflected the values of openness and inclusion.

“Visitors enjoyed a wide range of attractions and stalls including delicious food, clothing and jewellery displays, which received excellent feedback from attendees.

“The positive response highlighted not only the quality of the event but also the spirit in which it was delivered.

“For younger visitors, there was plenty to enjoy. Children especially loved the face painting, the opportunity to explore the police van, and meeting the ever-popular Bumblebee mascot, which brought smiles and excitement throughout the day.

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“Unfortunately, the planned mini zoo was cancelled at short notice by the providers.

“We sincerely apologise to those who were looking forward to this attraction and appreciate everyone’s understanding.

“Despite this unexpected change, the day proved to be a tremendous success and generated overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, many of whom praised the welcoming atmosphere and the opportunity to meet and connect with people they may not otherwise have encountered.”

Dr Jehangir added: “Events like this play an important role in strengthening community relations, building understanding and bringing people together.

“Airdrie Islamic Centre remains committed to creating opportunities that foster friendship, respect and shared experiences among all members of society.

“We would like to thank all volunteers, organisers, participants and visitors from the North Lanarkshire community who helped make the day such a success.

“Together, we continue building stronger communities and helping make Scotland a better place for everyone.”

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

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Issue: In order to push out cold air, a portable air conditioner inhales warm, humid air and blasts it with refrigerant chemicals before running it over cool metal coils. The remaining heat is vented outside through its hose.

This creates a vacuum, with the hot air removed from your room needing to be replaced. In my experience, what almost always happens is that more warm air from outside seeps back into the room through cracks in the floorboards or gaps above the door, counteracting the work of the air conditioning unit.

As the exhaust pipe expels air outside, some residual heat may radiate back into the room, too.

Solution: Position the air conditioner as close to a window as possible, keeping the hose short.

Check your window adaptor too. If it achieves anything less than an airtight seal, hot air will start to creep back in. Most portable air conditioners come with a window kit included, but if it doesn’t seem reliable enough, then I would recommend purchasing a better one online.

Dual-hose air conditioners are the best solution, as these cool air drawn from the outside, eliminating the aforementioned negative pressure problem. Unfortunately, EU and UK energy regulations mean that these aren’t readily available.

Don’t worry about the noise

NEW YORK (AP) — “Being Heumann,” director Siân Heder’s film about the late disability rights activist Judith Heumann, will open the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.

Festival organizers announced Tuesday that “Being Heumann,” starring Ruth Madeley as Heumann, will make its world premiere on the opening night of the Canadian festival Sept. 10. The festival runs through Sept. 20.

Heumann, who died in 2023, has been called the “mother of the disability rights movement” for her longtime advocacy and for lobbying for what eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Heumann, who lost the ability to walk at age 2, was also a central figure in the Oscar-nominated 2020 film “Crip Camp.”

“Being Heumann” is Heder’s follow-up to the 2021 film “CODA,” which won best picture at the Academy Awards. The win marked a milestone for the deaf community and signaled the first time a streamer, Apple, won Hollywood’s top award. Apple is also releasing “Being Heumann.”

“We’re thrilled to open this year’s Festival with Siân Heder’s inspiring follow-up to her Oscar winning ‘CODA,’” Cameron Bailey, chief executive of TIFF, said in a statement. “‘Being Heumann’ features an electric performance from Ruth Madeley in the story of Judy Heumann, a world-changing advocate for accessibility.”

The festival, one of the premiere launching pads of fall movies, also announced gala world premieres of Susanna White’s legal thriller “Prima Facie,” starring Cynthia Erivo, and of Hur Jin-ho’s Korean thriller “The Assassin(s).”

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The story has been updated to correct that the film “Crip Camp” was from 2020, not 2000.

‘The world is on fire’ and Britain’s allies are ‘dismayed’ by our failure to prepare for war, MPs were told today in the starkest warning yet about a future conflict with Russia.

General Sir Richard Barrons and Lord Robertson, who wrote a defence plan rejected by Downing Street as unaffordable, offered a terrifying view of the UK’s vulnerabilities.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee today they exposed how this country is comfortably in range of Russian ballistic missiles and how its defences are near non-existent.

Gen Sir Richard and Lord Robertson previously wrote the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which was published last year and set out the requirements for Britain to thwart Kremlin aggression.

The SDR was supposed to be followed urgently by the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) but instead ministers wasted a year arguing what cuts to make.

A plan for an ‘Iron Dome’ to protect Britain’s major cities from Russian aerial attacks was costed at a basic £80billion – yet Labour offered just £1billion as part of the DIP.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former UK government advisor on defence lambasted Labour’s record today, including that ministers wasted a year in the race to prepare for possible conflict with Russia.

Former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson criticised UK government failures to publish the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) and warned Sir Keir Starmer could face stinging criticism from US President Donald Trump, and other allies, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. 

Speaking in detail for the first time about the Labour government’s failure to address Britain’s vulnerabilities, Sir Richard told the Defence Committee:

‘The world is on fire now. The UK does not own the clock on when we need to be ready by. It is set by Russia and likely on the back of an outcome in Ukraine. Which is why people talk credibly about 2030 or sooner.

‘Integrated missile defence is the iconic thing that did not get into the SDR. But we got £1 billion for it in the DIP. That buys you some improvements to defence missiles, some improvements to the Type 45s [air defence warships] and advanced command and control. You’ll know better that you are going to be hit by a missile.

‘Entry level Integrated Missile Defence (IMD) is probably £80 billion over ten years. The IMD of my dreams is probably £120billion. People assume there is a sort of ‘Iron Dome’ over London but it is not even remotely there. We shouldn’t kid ourselves that if we have arguments around the margins of the DIP that we are somehow fixing defence. It’s just not true.’

Sir Richard continued that Labour’s delay over publishing the DIP has depleted the UK’s defence industrial base, as companies either went bust or accepted foreign orders for weapons as ministers awaited guidance on how much to spend.

Sir Richard said Labour’s shambles over defence was ‘profoundly dangerous’ and also made no sense considering Sir Keir Starmer has warned how Britain could be involved in direct conflict with Russia by 2030.

Another alarming factor is how President Putin appears increasingly willing to lash out towards the West and is targeting the UK, they told the committee.

It emerged yesterday how a Russian aircraft harassed the Royal Navy’s £3.5billion aircraft carrier the HMS Prince of Wales in the Norwegian Sea and how Kremlin drones launched from a shadow fleet vessel in the North Sea flew over UK nuclear facilities and airbases in 2024.

Meanwhile, Russia’s ally Iran fired a ballistic missile towards the UK’s airbase on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia after Downing Street accepted a US request to use the airbase for long-range bombing missions targeting Tehran’s Islamic dictatorship earlier this year.

MPs were warned Russian President Vladimir Putin appears willing to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

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Sir Richard added: ‘The delay publishing the DIP was significant as the SDR had articulated a narrative for war in the 21st Century, it had built a sense of expectation and relief. Then there was no money and nothing happened. By far the most dangerous consequence of the delay was the Prime Minister saying Russia could attack NATO by 2030 and then we lost a year of mobilising for that. That was profoundly dangerous.

‘We’ve gone from the UK being a major NATO spender to 12th and, ranked against our capability targets you are 31 from 32 and the other member does not have any armed forces. So how do you implement the SDR fast enough to deter your enemies and to be the leading influence we keep claiming to be? That brings you back to the money. Find more money sooner. Make different choices. That’s it.’

Sir Richard and Lord Robertson explained how the SDR was drafted on the assumption that the UK was going to spend 3.0 per cent of GDP ‘by the new parliament’, which would mean 2028 or 2029. Instead, based on current Labour spending projections, the UK will spend a mere 2.7 per cent by 2030.

Sir Richard explained: ‘It was clear by last summer that they [the government] had looked at the figures, added some new things in and it was clear there was a gap. Let’s say that was £24billion over four years –to implement the 62 recommendations and the money the government wanted to find in those four years.

‘We knew there was no new money for the first two years and then only a dribble for the rest of this parliament. That wasn’t a surprise. What it is exposed was a really clear choice. If you want to implement this review, and you have said that you do, you will have to find more money sooner.

‘If you won’t find more money sooner then what would you like to cut from the review you have just announced? And they went around in that circle three times a week, every week between September [2025] until basically when the announcement was made. And for me that just was not good enough.’

Lord Robertson said Sir Keir Starmer may face the wrath of allies, particularly US President Donald Trump, at the NATO summit due to the UK’s defence spending crisis.

He said: ‘Our allies are dismayed. They look at how long it has taken, the delay putting the flesh on the bones. It confused them. The Prime Minister is in Ankara for the NATO summit. He will be sitting beside President Trump in alphabetical order around the North Atlantic Council table. Relations may be quite frosty.

‘Allies around the table are stepping up to the mark and are spending more on defence and some of the bigger countries like Germany and Poland are spending considerably more than we are. The delay and the reality will have disturbed our allies who have expected more of the United Kingdom given we have always claimed to have a leading role in NATO.

‘We said in the SDR it may be necessary to go faster. The plan can be accelerated. We are running out of years. The reality is the challenge is bigger now, more serious and more clear than we anticipated. Yet the Defence Investment Plan itself doesn’t come up to it.’

Odhran Kelly’s body was found beaten and burned inside a car ablaze in the Edward Street area

Two women appeared in court today (Tuesday) on charges arising from the murder of 23-year old nursing student Odhran Kelly.

Mr Kelly’s body was found beaten and burned inside a car ablaze in the Edward Street area of Lurgan in December 2023.

The first accused to enter the dock of Belfast Crown Cour t today was Andrea Catherine Theresa Stevenson from Faulkner Heights in Bangor.

After she confirmed her identity to a court clerk, the 45-year old was charged with murdering Mr Kelly on December 3, 2023.

When asked how she pleaded, Stevenson replied “not guilty.”

She was then charged with assisting offenders on the same date – namely assisting others ‘in the removal and destruction of Odhran Kelly’s body.’

Asked to enter a plea to this offence, Stevenson again replied “not guilty.”

Following Stevenson’s arraignment, Stephanie McClelland (38) from Lagmore Grove in Lisburn then entered the dock.

She was also charged with assisting offenders by assisting others ‘in the removal and destruction of Odhran Kelly’s body’ on December 3, 2023.

When asked how she pleaded, McClelland replied: “Not guilty.”

Two other co-accused from Lurgan, who did not attend today’s hearing, appeared in court back in November 2024 when they both denied murdering Mr Kelly.

Gary Damien Scullion (34) from Edward Street and 34-year old Shane Harte from Garland Avenue were jointly charged with murdering Mr Kelly on December 3, 2023 – with both defendants entering ‘not guilty’ pleas to the murder charge.

After both women were arraigned on the charges today, they were released on continuing bail by Madam Justice McBride who said she would review the case on September 18.

Police received reports of concerns for a mother and two children who hadn’t been seen in several days

A murder investigation has been launched aftera woman and two children were found dead at a property. Bedfordshire Police were called on Monday (July 6) regarding concerns for a mother and two children who had not been seen for several days.

A number of enquiries were carried out and police forced entry into a property in Carnoustie Drive, Great Denham, Bedfordshire, close to St Neots and Eaton Socon.

Officers discovered the bodies of a woman and two children. The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit has launched a murder investigation.

Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy said: “This is a deeply distressing incident in which a mother and her two children are believed to have been murdered. Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected. We recognise that this will cause concern in the local community and beyond. This is the early stages of what is an incredibly complex investigation.

“We are committing all necessary resources to establish exactly what has happened and to find the person responsible. As a result of enquiries undertaken so far, we have identified a suspect, who was known to all three victims, and who we believe has since left the country.

“While there is nothing to suggest there is any wider risk to the public, we will be increasing the police presence in and around the area to support the investigation and provide reassurance to residents.

“I would ask anyone who may have information about this incident, or who may have heard or seen any suspicious activity in Carnoustie Drive, particularly on Friday and Saturday, to please come forward to police as soon as possible. Any information, no matter how small, could help our investigation.

“I would also ask people to be mindful of the privacy of the victims and avoid speculating about what might have happened.” Bedfordshire Police is appealing for information.

Anyone with information should call 101 or report it online and quote Operation Snowdrift.

The £50million phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and a raft of other celebrities against the publishers of the Daily Mail was today dismissed in full. 

The case brought by the Duke of Sussex and six fellow claimants, also including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, was heard at a three-month trial at London‘s High Court at the beginning of this year.

The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, accepted that every article complained about was lawfully sourced.

The claim was brought against Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.

In an executive summary of his judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin said: ‘Associated called journalist witnesses who gave lawful explanations for the sourcing of the disputed articles and incidents.

‘The Court accepted their evidence, including their denials of UIG [unlawful information gathering].

‘The allegations were serious: they included allegations of dishonesty, unlawful conduct and deliberately false evidence. The more serious and less likely an allegation is, the more convincing the evidence must be before a court can find it proved.’ 

The judge said that in assessing Prince Harry’s evidence overall, ‘it was apparent that he wished the court to understand the personal impact of the matters in issue. At times, this led him beyond giving factual evidence into advancing arguments on the issues.’

‘As I indicated to Prince Harry at the time, that is not uncommon: many litigants feel a strong instinct to argue their case themselves.’

He added: ‘Overall, this did not affect the quality of Prince Harry’s evidence, which I accept. As with each of the claimants, Prince Harry has limited evidence to give on the contentious matters in dispute.’

An Associated Newspapers spokesman said: ‘Associated Newspapers welcomes today’s judgement, which is an overwhelming victory for the Daily Mail and its journalists, and for a free press generally.

‘Mr Justice Nicklin today cleared the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, and dismissed every single one of the 97 allegations made by the claimants. In every case, the Judge accepted the honesty of our journalists’ evidence on how they sourced their stories.

‘This is a magnificent vindication of the Daily Mail’s journalism.

‘For some of the most outrageous allegations made when the case was launched in a blaze of publicity four years ago – placing bugs in people’s cars and homes, listening to calls as they were made and illicitly accessing bank accounts – no credible evidence was ever presented.

‘As we said at the time, these allegations were “lurid” and “preposterous”, and were a fishing expedition by the claimants and their legal teams in a politically motivated campaign to muzzle the free press.

‘The reputations of our decent and hard-working journalists were terribly impugned, and today they have been exonerated.

‘As the judgement clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced.

‘Associated Newspapers thanks Mr Justice Nicklin for the patience and wisdom he has displayed throughout this misguided legal action, which has wasted so much valuable court time and more than £50m in legal costs.

‘We will look to resolve outstanding issues, including the recovery of the costs we have incurred while defending ourselves against this egregious litigation.’

From the moment the case began in 2022, the Daily Mail has consistently denied the accusations, for which there was never any credible evidence.

Even the claimants’ own supposed star witness, a private investigator named Gavin Burrows, told them he had never worked for the Mail, yet they ploughed ahead with the case anyway.

Prince Harry, Ms Hurley, Sir Elton, his husband David Furnish and Baroness Lawrence all launched their claims on the basis of alleged ‘admissions’ from Mr Burrows about hacking their voicemails, tapping their landlines, bugging Hugh Grant’s car and, in Ms Hurley’s case, placing a sticky microphone on her dining room window – none of which was true.

Mr Burrows said his ‘confession’ statement had been penned by Prince Harry’s legal researchers and was ‘a pack of lies’ complete with a forgery for his signature. 

The fabricated statement was authenticated with a ‘certificate of compliance’ by Baroness Lawrence’s glamorous solicitor Anjlee Sangani. 

She quit the case just before the trial started.

Mr Burrows said Baroness Lawrence had been ‘duped’ into joining the case by the campaigners who boasted suing newspapers was a lucrative ‘gravy train’ and the ‘perfect scam’.

When Mr Burrows came to give evidence on oath, the claimants tied themselves in knots and were reduced to calling their star witness a liar and a drunk.

The judge dismissed all the Burrows allegations.

The Reform UK leader said he would stand again in the resulting by-election, describing it as a contest between “the people versus the establishment”.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Farage insisted he had “done nothing wrong” and denied breaking parliamentary rules or the law.

“I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law,” he said.

His decision comes after reports that long-time associate George Cottrell helped fund security and staffing in the year before Mr Farage entered Parliament.

Labour has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate whether that support should have been declared under electoral rules, arguing Mr Farage remained a leading political figure before he returned to Westminster in the 2024 general election.

Nigel Farage (Image: Jordan Pettitt)

The party has also questioned whether Mr Cottrell, who is based in Montenegro, was eligible to make political donations at the time because it is unclear whether he was registered to vote in the UK.

Mr Farage is separately under investigation by Parliament’s standards commissioner over whether he should have declared a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.

Under Commons rules in force at the time of his election, new MPs were required to register gifts worth more than £300 received during the previous 12 months unless they could not reasonably be linked to their political activities.

File photo dated 04/06/24 of Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage with George Cottrell (left) , as Mr Farage has a milkshake thrown over him leaving the Moon and Starfish pub after launching his General Election campaign in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Farage (Image: James Manning/PA Wire)

‘People versus the establishment’

Announcing his resignation, Mr Farage said he wanted his constituents to decide whether he should remain in Parliament.

“I’ve decided today I will resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton… thereby forcing a by-election,” he said.

“I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.”

He added: “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.”

Nigel Farage (Image: Chris RADBURN)

The Reform leader confirmed he would stand again, saying: “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”

Farage says media scrutiny was ‘the final straw’

Mr Farage said recent reporting about his finances and support arrangements formed part of what he called an “establishment hit job”.

He accused political opponents, sections of the media and state institutions of attempting to damage Reform UK as it continues to lead opinion polls.

He also defended the £5 million gift from Mr Harborne, saying it had been made on an unconditional personal basis and would help fund security after years of threats and attacks.

Nigel Farage speaking during a rally at the Holiday Inn Norwich North in Norwich. (Image: Chris Radburn)

Labour calls for investigation

Labour Party chair Anna Turley has written to the Electoral Commission urging it to examine whether the reported support from Mr Cottrell should have been declared.

She said: “It is now abundantly clear that Mr Farage may have not only broken Parliamentary rules, he may have broken the law.”

“Farage can’t brazenly brush this off as being ‘none of your business’ any longer.”

“He needs to own his self-inflicted scandal and prove he’s not been secretly breaking the rules and taking the British public for fools.”

The Liberal Democrats have also called for Parliament’s standards commissioner to widen his existing investigation into Mr Farage’s financial declarations.

Trump backs Farage

As pressure mounted, US President Donald Trump appeared to publicly back Mr Farage.

On Monday, Mr Trump shared an article on his Truth Social platform arguing that Mr Farage was facing the same tactics used against him during the 2024 US presidential campaign.

According to The Times, Mr Trump also telephoned the Reform leader to congratulate him on what he described as his political success in helping bring about Sir Keir Starmer’s departure from Downing Street.

Who is George Cottrell?

Mr Cottrell has been a close associate of Mr Farage for years and reportedly remains one of his advisers.

According to reports, he recruited and paid three members of staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election and has continued to provide the use of a property near Buckingham Palace.

Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick has described Mr Cottrell as “an old friend” of Mr Farage who has “no formal role within Reform”.

Mr Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the United States in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud, having admitted attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web while posing as a money launderer.

What happens next?

Mr Farage’s resignation will trigger a by-election in Clacton, where he will seek re-election.

If he wins, he will return to Parliament with what he says will be a renewed mandate from voters.

If he loses, Reform UK would lose one of its highest-profile parliamentary figures at a time when the party continues to argue it represents the main electoral challenge to both Labour and the Conservatives.

Mr Farage continues to deny any wrongdoing in relation to both the parliamentary standards investigation and the latest allegations over undeclared support.