Brewery's challenge to Selby planning policy defeated in High Court
A legal challenge to a major council policy document has been dismissed in a hearing at the High Court.
Politics & local government
The challenge was brought by Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery of Tadcaster who argued that Selby District Council’s Core Strategy planning policy document, was not properly sound and therefore unfit to be adopted for use by Council planners.
Initially adopted by the Council in October 2013, the document is an important policy document and pillar of the Selby’s Local Plan. It sets out a blue print for shaping how the district should continue to grow over the document’s intended 15-year lifespan and including policies to bring employment and housing land into the planning system as well as provide much needed infrastructure upgrades for the district.
Samuel Smiths launched its challenge to the adoption of the document in December, leading to a hearing before Mr Justice Ouseley, taking place at the High Court in Leeds during July. His judgement, handed down yesterday at the Royal Court Courts of Justice in London, dismissed the brewery's challenge on all grounds.
The case is the latest in a long line of legal disputes between Coucil bosses and the Tadcaster brewer, the cost of which is understood to have been significant. Headed by eccentric businessman Humphrey Smith and his brother Oliver, the brewery has raised countless objections to planning applications in the local area and mounted several high-profile legal challenges to Council decisions.
The Council says that this judgement now means they will be able to move forward with the next phase of their Local Plan. This will include formulating detailed policies that will allocate specific sites within the Selby area for future development to support their plans for jobs, homes and services.
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Crane said, “We welcome the judgement given today which comprehensively dismisses the challenge brought by the brewery. It took a tremendous amount of work over a number of years to get the document prepared and adopted; it was disappointing to face this challenge but we now have a document that will drive business and housing growth to 2027.
“The Core Strategy is a vital part of helping us to support new business growth and jobs, as well as giving people access to the housing they need.”