Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, has welcomed the news that a legal challenge to the number of houses that should be built in Great Wyrley has been rejected by the High Court.
A small part of South Staffordshire Council’s Adopted Core Strategy—a document that sets out the long term objectives and planning policies for the future of the district—was challenged by a local developer who claimed that the apportionment of housing between the main villages in South Staffordshire, and in particular Great Wyrley, was not correct.
In a ruling today, the court ruled that the challenge was unjustified, and the housing allocations stated within the strategy were indeed sound.
Speaking about the ruling, Gavin said: “It is my hope that, with this victory, the case against the proposed development of Landywood Lane has been significantly strengthened.
“I think the District Council has fought a brilliant action to stop this legal challenge and I hope one of the consequences will be to ensure that the Landywood Lane development is thrown out by the Planning Inspectorate.”
Leader of South Staffordshire Council Brian Edwards added: “The ruling today is a victory for common sense. This challenge to a very specific part of the Adopted Core Strategy sought to change the split of development between the main villages and in particular more development in Great Wyrley, but did not challenge the overall number of new homes proposed. We maintained throughout this case that there was no evidence to substantiate this challenge, and I am pleased that the court saw the challenge for what it was and ruled in our favour.
“The Adopted Core Strategy is there for a reason—to protect the quality of life of local residents and the green belt, but also ensure villages in South Staffordshire can grow at a rate that is sustainable. It is based on extensive consultation spanning a number of years, and draws upon other strategies produced by the council and other organisations. We have a duty to protect our villages from developments that are not in line with our carefully developed strategies, and the Core Strategy sets out to do just that.
“This challenge has delayed our plans by nine months. Nevertheless, we hope we can now put this challenge behind us, and continue with ensuring there is enough housing in South Staffordshire to meet the needs of a growing population.”