Court of Appeal brings legal challenge against 10,000-home development to an end

The claimants, who own a Grade I-listed residence in the area, had sought to overturn the council’s grant of outline planning permission for the development, which includes 10,000 new homes alongside two new secondary schools and up to six primary schools.

East Herts District Council said the project team “can now press ahead”, with the legal process formally concluded.

Masterplans for the first new villages will be submitted in the coming months, and construction of the villages is expected to begin in the next financial year. 

Vicky Glover-Ward, executive member for planning and growth at the council, said she was “very pleased” that the council’s “success in all stages of the legal challenge now unlocks a major phase of delivery”.

She continued: “We remain committed to working closely with existing residents through the Gilston Area Community Forum and masterplanning workshops. 

“Their involvement is essential in shaping this area’s future, ensuring the Gilston development brings real benefits to both new and established communities.”

Lee Gordon, partner in planning and infrastructure consents at Walker Morris, a law firm which provided legal guidance to the council, said the ruling from the Court of Appeal “marks a significant step forward for the Gilston Area and the wider garden-town vision”.

He said: “It follows a huge amount of hard work with officers at East Herts Council and its partners over a lengthy period to help ensure robust decision-making processes in determining the hugely significant planning applications. 

“The scale of the proposals gave rise to a wide range of complex points which are of relevance to the delivery of multi-phase garden-town developments.

“We’re delighted the courts have endorsed the approaches taken, to have helped successfully defend the council’s decisions from legal challenge and that the project can now progress without further delay.”

The development is part of Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, which was designated by the government in 2017 and is set to deliver a total of 23,000 new homes.