Court: Saudi Royal's Planned Sprawling L.A. Compound Requires Environmental Review

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court has found that a sprawling Los Angeles compound planned by a Saudi Arabian prince must go through an environmental review.

The three-judge panel last week rejected an assertion that the city must allow construction to begin in Benedict Canyon because the project complied with all building and zoning codes.

The decision marks a victory for neighbors, who have argued that the project was illegal because it did not provide an alternative route for the arrival of emergency vehicles in case of a fire.

An attorney for Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdulaziz al Saud tells the Los Angeles Times that his client might seek a planning department waiver that would allow him to complete the 5.2-acre estate without the secondary access road.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)