A COMPANY which tried to take its local council's controversial housing plans to court has a date for an appeal hearing.

Bioabundance, a community interest company and campaign group, attempted to take South Oxfordshire District Council's Local Plan to a judicial review this year.

But the application was thrown out, and the company was asked to pay the council's legal costs of more than £8,000.

It has since appealed this decision by Justice Ian Dove, and its request for an oral appeal hearing has been granted and will go ahead on Thursday, April 29.

Ian Ashley, a director of Bioabundance, said: “The process for plan adoption was neither democratic nor legal. And the only way to get any justice for the people of South Oxfordshire is through the courts.”

The group had several grounds on which it contested the Local Plan, including that the 30,000 homes it makes room for are too many and damaging to the environment.

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Bioabundance also contested the government calculation which led to this number of homes being required.

Justice Dove did not think either of these were grounds on which the plan could be challenged in court, and refused the application for judicial review.

The appeal gives the company a chance to state its case again.

Leigh Day solicitor Tom Short, represents Bioabundance with barristers Tim Buley QC and Alex Shattock of Landmark Chambers.

Mr Short said: “Our client welcomes this opportunity to put forward its case at an open hearing at the High Court, and the scrutiny that will bring of the unfortunate manner of decision-making lying behind South Oxfordshire’s Local Plan.”

South Oxfordshire District Council was contacted for comment on the appeal hearing.