Planning chiefs may be taken to court over decisions

A COUNCIL could take the planning inspectorate to court for allowing hundreds of new homes in a town and village.

East Riding councillors heard officers were exploring options on fighting recent Planning Inspectorate decisions to let two developments totalling 530 homes go ahead in Pocklington and Swanland.

Council deputy leader Mike Stathers said the decisions were “very disappointing” for the authority and for residents near the proposed sites for 380 homes in Pocklington and 150 in Swanland.

He added he hoped both decisions from inspector Claire Searson could be challenged in the High Court to stop them and other “speculative, large-scale” developments.

But opposition leader David Nolan claimed both decisions were caused by a “catastrophic failure” to keep housing land supply up to date and meet building targets.

The Liberal Democrat added the authority should apologise to nearby residents and called for an investigation as committee minutes from 2018 showed councillors were aware of shortfalls.

Applications for the Pocklington and Swanland developments, lodged in 2018 and 2019 respectively, were both outside council development limits and on greenfield sites.

Mrs Searson ruled the need for affordable housing, highways improvements and new jobs outweighed that and the loss of farmland, upholding developer Gladman Ltd’s appeals.

The inspector added there had been a “consistent shortfall” against targets of 1,400 homes a year since 2016 under the council’s Local Plan. Coun Nolan said an “urgent” investigation was needed into the appeals.