Court of Appeal refuses parish permission to appeal in row over 1,500-home development

The Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by Abbotskerswell Parish Council to block Teignbridge District Council’s plan for a 1,500 homes development at Wolborough Barton.

Although the judgment is not yet available, the district said in a statement: “All arguments put forward by Abbotskerswell for a review have been rejected by the court which concluded ‘there is no discernible error and no other compelling reason for an appeal to be heard’.”

Teignbridge said this ended a dispute that started in 2014 and "which has seen significant public funding spent reviewing this application through every possible planning and legal process”.

It said the Court of Appeal ruling showed Teignbridge followed “the correct planning processes and gave sound professional advice on planning, ecological and environmental issues”.

A statement on the parish website said: “This is a travesty of justice because it means that piecemeal developments can now be progressed with no overall control of the environmental protections that are needed to ensure sustainable security for biodiversity and climate change issues.”

In Abbotskerswell Parish Council v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Ors [2021] EWHC 555  Mrs Justice Lang dismissed all grounds of challenge brought by the parish.

Mark Smulian