High Court dismisses challenge to housing development in Dunsfold, Waverley

In a judgment handed down on 18 December 2024, Waverley BC v SSHCLG [2024] EWHC 3302 (Admin), Mr Dan Kolinsky KC (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Planning Court) dismissed a claim under section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The claim was brought by Waverley Borough Council against a decision of an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Inspector granted outline planning permission to Sigma Homes Limited for up to 53 homes in the village of Dunsfold. The claim concerned the lawfulness of the Inspector's assessment of whether the development would harm the setting of the Surrey Hills National Landscape.

The judgment may be accessed here.

Matthew Fraser appeared for the successful defendant, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, instructed by the Government Legal Department.