Appeal date for river protection campaign

A Herefordshire residents’ group will have the chance next month to overturn a planning decision that they says threatens a nearby river.

The Residents of the Golden Valley have been told their case against Herefordshire Council will now be heard at the Court of Appeal in London on November 15 or 16.

The case concerns a planning application to expand a cattle unit at Bage Court Farm close to the river Dore, a tributary of the Monnow which flows into the protected river Wye.

The group had originally challenged Herefordshire Council planners’ claim that, in law if not geography, the river Dore does not belong to the catchment of the Wye, so no assessment under habitat regulations was needed before approving the new unit.

The group applied unsuccessfully to the High Court for a judicial review of the decision in June 2020, but was granted leave to appeal this in January 2022.

“We are confident that the original decision was erroneous and that we have a strong case with a good chance of a victory in the Court of Appeal,” the group said in a statement.

The group is seeking help with its legal fees at its CrowdJustice webpage. With 12 days to go, it has raised £31,460 of its £35,000 “stretch target”.