DEVELOPERS who want to build 350 homes at Coate Bridge, Devizes, revealed today they were to go to judicial review.

A month ago campaigners were celebrating after community secretary Eric Pickles threw out an appeal by house builders Mactaggart and Mickel.

But in response to a query from the Gazette the developer this morning said it was to take the case to the High Court.

This will mean that Government lawyers will face the Scottish builder across the court room as it tries a last ditch effort to get planning permission on the fields near Windsor Drive.

Chris Callow, chairman of Roundway Parish Council, said: “I am very disappointed but not really surprised.

“It is more important now than ever before that we get the Devizes Area Neighbourhood Plan finalised. I hope Wiltshire Council will work with us to get to referendum stage as soon as possible.”

Devizes deputy town clerk Simon Fisher said: “I think we all feared this was on the cards. The developers had invested a lot of money in this plan and were not going to go away easily.”

Mr Pickles overturned the decision of planning inspector John Felgate, who chaired the four-day hearing in April, and said the appeal should have been allowed and planning permission granted.

Mr Pickles disagreed with the inspector’s conclusions and recommendation and decided to dismiss the appeal and refuse planning permission.

He put great weight on the Devizes Area Neighbourhood Plan (DANP) and said it was sufficiently advanced to be taken into consideration.

The report said: “In reaching this view the Secretary of State has had regard to the stage of preparation of the DANP, the content of the consultation statement, the quality and effectiveness of the three consultations carried out prior to submission of the DANP to the local authority, the evidence of local support for the DANP and the fact that the appeal site came second to bottom in the site preference exercise.”