Bloor Homes 210 plans home for Thurston can go ahead after Court of Appeal ruling

Bloor Homes can now go ahead with plans to build 210 homes in a village near Bury St Edmunds.

This comes after the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling which initially had quashed planning consent for the new homes in Thurston.

In February Thurston Parish Council lodged a judicial review against Mid Suffolk District Council's planning permission for the Bloor Homes estate off Beyton Road.

As part of the judicial review, the parish council had argued that the district council committee members were wrongly advised on the weight to be given to the neighbourhood plan for Thurston.

However the Court of Appeal ruled that the district council's decision to grant Bloor Homes planning permission for the homes did not involve any misinterpretation of the neighbourhood plan.

The plans allows communities to outline the future of their areas and decide where they want new homes to be built.

Vicky Waples, parish council clerk, said the decision was 'extremely disappointing'.

She explained: "This is a case of significant importance, not only to Thurston but all areas that have neighbourhood plans.

"We are seeking further advice from our legal team to see where we can go with this."

One local resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "Mid Suffolk District Council has pushed through these developments with little care or respect shown to the residents of Thurston.

"The road infrastructure is poor with numerous blind spots and frequent accidents at crossroads.

"Yes, there is a new primary school, which is filling up fast, but there is no medical centre apart from a small pharmacy.

"We are the size of a small town, no longer a village."

A spokeswoman for Mid Suffolk District Council said: "We welcome this judgement and the important clarification it provides.

"We are pleased that the Court recognised that our committee weighed the benefits and disadvantages of the proposed development appropriately and were entitled to reach the conclusion they did.

"We will continue to work with Thurston Parish Council in our shared aim of supporting the local community."

A spokeswoman for Bloor Homes added: " Bloor Homes welcomes the Court Of Appeal’s decision and looks forward to working with the District Council and Parish Council to obtain Reserved Matters Approval to bring forward much needed infrastructure improvements and other community benefits that this scheme will deliver."