A JUDICIAL Review has quashed a planning approval given by Cornwall Council at a controversial site within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

Farmer Chris Wilton was given permission to build a detached house near to Rame Head in August of last year on the basis that an agricultural worker’s dwelling was needed to enable he and his family to live close to the land they farm and manage.

But today, a High Court Judge has ruled that Cornwall Council did not provide adequate reasons for its decision, which went against the judgements of the Principal Planning Officer as well as the Planning Officer for the AONB.

The judge also ruled that Cornwall Council failed to demonstrate that the decision to grant planning approval was in line with local planning policy – and said that the Council had failed to properly interpret its own local plan.

Following the judgement, the planning decision taken last summer is now quashed, and Cornwall Council will have to lodge an application with the Court of Appeal should it wish to challenge the High Court decision.Cornwall Council has issued this short statement in response to toady's ruling: "Cornwall Council acknowledges that the decision by the Planning Committee to grant planning permission for this development has been overturned following a Judicial Review. "The Council will now be reviewing the judgment and considering its options."

The Rame Protection Group, which was formed by residents in protest against the initial planning application, and which raised thousands of pounds to mount the Judicial Review, says that today’s judgement “has far-reaching implications for the protection of AONBs in Cornwall and beyond”.

A spokesperson said: “It means that private ‘need’ alone would not in itself justify developments inside an AONB.

“ It re-asserts the critical importance of the protective umbrella that the AONB offers when it comes to developments in the open countryside.”