Stockport fails in latest attempt to block 540-home Woodford scheme

A renewal hearing at the Royal Court of Justice saw the High Court’s decision this summer to refuse the council’s legal challenge over Harrow Estates’ development upheld.

Stockport Council is now considering its options after the oral ruling yesterday and has seven days to decide whether to take the fight to the Court of Appeal.

Harrow Estates, part of Barratt Redrow, was granted consent for the 84-acre extension of Woodford Garden Village.

Stockport Council failed to determine the application in good time, prompting the developer to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

PINS approved the scheme, saying the council’s 1.77-year housing land supply position – well below the statutory target of five years – alongside the scheme’s 36 acres of public open space, carried “substantial overarching positive weight”. The inspector also agreed with Harrow Estates that the site constitutes Grey Belt rather than Green Belt.

Stockport requested a judicial review into that decision but the High Court rejected the request in July. 

The hearing that took place yesterday also went in favour of the developer.

Steve Neal, planning director for Barratt Redrow’s Harrow Estates division, said, “I am delighted that we can now focus on delivering 540 high-quality new homes, 50% of which will be affordable, at Woodford Garden Village alongside the investment and jobs that the project will bring.”

A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “The council is reviewing the High Court’s decision in detail and will consider the appropriate next steps once that review has been completed.”

To learn more about the scheme and the appeal, search for reference number DC/094533 on Stockport Council’s planning portal.

Two more plots in Woodford have been courted by both Russell LDP, which plans a 554-home scheme, and David Wilson Homes, which has launched a public consultation on its 450-home proposal.