A DEVELOPMENT company seeking to build on part of Old Sarum airfield has lost a legal challenge to Salisbury district council's new local plan.

Dutch-owned company Blanefield Properties, which owns the World War I aerodrome, mounted the challenge at the High Court in London last week, asking Mr Justice Forbes to quash parts of the council's 2003 replacement plan as it affects the airfield.

Under the plan, approved last June, new development must satisfy council policy criteria and not result in any detriment to the visual quality of the landscape.

Blanefield wanted the site to be allocated for mixed-use development or reallocated for employment use relating to the two Grade 2 listed former MoD hangars.

It claimed objections it had lodged against the new policies had not been properly considered by the council.

Blanefield sought a judicial review.

But the judge rejected Blanefield's challenge and said he had reached a "firm conclusion" that the council's local plan should stand. He said that any future proposed development of the airfield that was designed to meet a strong employment need in the area would have to be judged by the council against its local plan.

The 57-hectare airfield, on the outskirts of Salisbury, was established as a military aerodrome in 1917 and remained under ministry of defence control until 1990.

About four years ago, the district council attempted to put a conservation order on the airfield, but those plans were withdrawn after Blanefield mounted a successful legal challenge.

At that time, the company was applying for planning permission to use the northern portion of the airfield for light industrial units and warehousing.

The development was to have been built in two phases and, in 2005, would have involved the repositioning of the runway.

Objectors to those plans included Old Sarum Flying Club boss Lesley Maynard, who claimed then that the development would kill off the aerodrome.

She and other objectors also opposed the plans on the grounds that the development would destroy an important green gap between Salisbury and the parishes of Laverstock and Ford and spoil views from the Old Sarum monument.

This week, Ms Maynard told the Journal: "The new local plan lasts until 2011 and I am quite happy with the secure future of the flying club."

John Noeken, the district council's portfolio holder for planning and economic development, welcomed the High Court decision.

"Preparing a local plan is never an easy process, as there are always conflicting views about what is right for the area," Mr Noeken said.

"One of the things the council takes great pride in is the scrupulously full and fair way in which it considers all objections before coming to a decision.

"It is very pleasing to see our approach being vindicated by the judge."