County defeats High Court challenge by parish over siting of new primary school near air force base

Suffolk County Council has successfully defended a legal challenge brought by a parish council over the grant of planning permission for a new 420-place primary school near a US air force base.

Lakenheath Parish Council was granted permission by a High Court judge in February to bring the challenge.

The parish acknowledged that a new primary school was needed but argued that the proposed location was too close to the base - named RAF Lakenheath despite its use by the US.

The parish said children would be educated directly under a military jet flightpath were the site in Station Road used.

It submitted that the county council had failed properly to consider environmental impacts by breaching regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011.

In giving permission for the challenge, John Howell QC, sitting as a deputy Planning Court judge, granted the parish council a protective costs order limiting exposure to adverse costs to £15,000 on the basis the matter was an environmental claim.

However, the claim has now been dismissed.

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said: “We welcome the High Court’s decision in our favour and now wish to continue making preparations for future education provision in Lakenheath.”

The parish council will hold an extraordinary meeting tomorrow (10 April) at which the planning permission for the primary school will be discussed.