Council to take Government to High Court after being stripped of powers to decide major planning applications

According to the BBC, the council’s leadership described the decision as "outrageous" and said it wanted to set a legal precedent by winning the case.

The council said a two-day hearing will take place in December in a bid to overturn the sanction, introduced in June under the Town and Country Planning Act.

Wychavon was one of nine councils affected by then Secretary of State Steve Reed's decision.

The special measures were brought in because between 2023 and 2025, 10.7% of planning applications in Wychavon were allowed on appeal, slightly above the government's accepted limit of 10%.

The sanction means developers can now bypass the authority and apply straight to national planning inspectors for a decision on all major housing projects instead. Planning applications of 10 homes or more are classed as "major" projects.

According to the BBC, the council's legal team will argue that in the 12-month period up until March this year, only 5.2% of applications refused by councillors were allowed on appeal, and that the latest data should have been taken into account.

The legal action was confirmed at an Executive Board meeting on 16 September.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson