Daventry Council, which had refused planning consent for the homes on 7.72 hectares of farmland, successfully challenged a planning inspector’s ruling which overturned their decision to block the development at Weedon Bec.
But yesterday at the High Court, Mrs Justice Lang sided with the council and ruled that the planning inspector had got it wrong.
In overruling the council and granting outline planning consent the inspector had said the site would be well connected to the village and that the benefits of providing more housing and much needed affordable housing in particular outweighed any harm the scheme might cause.
However, in yesterday’s ruling Mrs Justice Lang said: "I consider that the inspector erred in law."
She criticised the way he had discharged his duties under the Town and Country Planning Act, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act and the National Planning Policy Framework.
The secretary of state for communities and local government, whose inspector had reached the decision that was under challenge, had already agreed to it being quashed.
Daventry District Council v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Case Number: CO/3447/2015
