A developer has lost a long-fought battle to build hundreds of homes on land next to Ockwells Manor in Maidenhead.
Thames Valley Holdings Ltd (TVHL) had sought to put up to 300 houses on the 22.6 acre field north of Ockwells Road, which sits next to the Grade I-listed medieval house.
It was fighting the National Trust to get a protective covenant on the land lifted to enable the project to go ahead, but has lost the case in the Court of Appeal.
The covenant means no building can go ahead on the land without the trust’s consent.
Attempts by TVHL to overturn the ban failed so it mounted a legal case, insisting the move would be in the public interest as housing is desperately needed.
But the Court of Appeal dismissed this on Thursday, July 5.
Lib Dem local campaigners ran a petition a couple of years ago for the council to make the land Green Belt to give it extra protection from the developer. Lib Dems will continue to push for the protection.
Bruce Adams said, “We are really concerned about the impact a development of that size would have on the area’s traffic and infrastructure.”