Greystoke CB Limited v Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government & Anor

Facts

Greystoke CB Limited applied to Cherwell District Council for outline planning permission for up to 140,000 sqm of employment floorspace (use class B8), with ancillary offices, servicing and infrastructure, on agricultural land east of Junction 11 of the M40 near Huscote Farm, Banbury. The Council refused the application on 26 March 2024, giving fifteen reasons, several concerning highways impacts on Junction 11, the A422 Hennef Way and Southam Road. The Claimant appealed under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government held a nine-day inquiry in February 2025. By its close the Council had abandoned some highways objections, leaving disputes over whether the development would cause an unacceptable impact on highway safety and whether its residual impact on the road network would be severe. The Inspector found in the Claimant's favour on both questions but concluded that the proposed mitigation, a strategic transport contribution, was not shown to be effective, and dismissed the appeal on 22 July 2025, weighing highways impacts and locational non-compliance heavily against economic benefits. The Claimant applied for statutory review under section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; Mould J granted permission on three of the four pleaded grounds, and the claim came before Coppel J in the Planning Court.