The Oxford Times reports that plans to redevelop the Castle Mill boatyard in the Jericho area of Oxford (which is where parts of Northern Lights are set) were on Tuesday evening thrown out by Oxford City Council.

Councillors were met by a standing ovation at the end of meeting, which had standing room only as protesters packed in to plead their case. There was further delight when the council produced a further five reasons against the proposal, on top of the original four submitted by Oxford planning officers.

Philip Pullman spoke to the 150-strong audience and described the proposed development: “It displays an arrogance of scale. It will fundamentally alter the whole appearance of the canal in both directions. It’s like finding a bird’s nest and throwing a brick into it.”

You can read the article in full here.