The courts have thown out an attempt by Stevenage Council to overturn the decision earlier this year to block their plans to extend development into North Herts. They had mounted a legal challenge to a planning inspectors decsion that their Core Strategy, which assumed development in North Herts was “unsound”, but the court decided against them this week.

North Herts Council will now consult next year on the number of new houses to be built in the district. Although this is likely to many fewer than Stevenage were proposing there is still a risk that they will propose development between Stevenage and Weston.

We will make further details of the consultation available as soon as we have them.