A High Court judge is to hear arguments next week as a long-running row over plans for 721 new homes goes to a judicial review.

Campaign group Keep Chiswell Green will get their day in court as they challenge a decision made by then Housing Secretary Michael Gove in March of this year.

Mr Gove took the controversial decision to overturn a verdict by St Albans City and District Council (SADC) to reject a pair of planning applications by Cala Homes in 2022.

The plans would see a total of 721 homes and a school built either side of Chiswell Green Lane.

What the new homes could look like if builtWhat the new homes could look like if built (Image: McBains/CALA/Redington Capital/St Albans City and District Council) Following the successful appeal by developers, Keep Chiswell Green fundraised to take the case to the High Court in a last ditch effort to prevent the developments.

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Keep Chiswell Green described the decision as "devasting", with the group arguing the decision was made to "punish" St Albans for its poor record of housebuilding.

The city's local authority was "named and shamed" by Mr Gove as among the worst in the country for housebuilding in December 2023.

Former Housing Secretary Michael Gove resurrected the plans after they'd been refused by the district councilFormer Housing Secretary Michael Gove resurrected the plans after they'd been refused by the district council (Image: PA) Speaking in March, group member Shirani St Ledger McCarthy said: "Once one development is given the green light, other developers jump on the bandwagon, and Chiswell Green is now at risk of a further 675 new houses, in addition to these 721.  

"Together that's more houses than there currently are in the village."

Campaigners say the plans set a dangerous precedent for future development, with fears already rising after the Labour government piled the pressure on councils to deliver more housing.

The case will be heard amid a backdrop of debate about the district's Local Plan, currently out to the public for consultation ahead of its submission later this year.

The judicial review will be heard in the High Court on October 10.