HILPERTON residents have spoken of their surprise and delight that Wiltshire Council took their battle against the building of 15 houses all the way to the High Court.

On Tuesday a judge ruled in the council's favour, saying that permission for the development off Devizes Road was granted 'in error' by a Government planning inspector.

The original outline application, which was submitted in December 2013, was initially refused on grounds that the plans were outside of the village policy limits in the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

But following an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, developers Heron Land and Gallagher were granted permission to build the houses at the end of last year.

This week residents were surprised to learn from the Wiltshire Times that the council had taken the battle to the High Court, potentially risking a high bill for legal fees.

Carolyn and Jonathan Shipton, have lived on Devizes Road for 12 years, said if the development had gone ahead, they would have looked into moving.

Mrs Shipton said: “It wouldn't just be the houses which would be an inconvenience but the visitors, the traffic and the development work itself would be right outside our drive.

“I am really surprised they fought for it and I am so grateful that they have taken it that far.”

Nearby resident Gary Patton agreed and said that the money spent to get the case taken to the High Court would have been far less than the money which would have been devalued from the houses.

He said: “We're delighted at the decision and it shows a step in the right direction.”

Cllr Ernie Clark, who represents Hilperton, called in the application when it was first submitted and believes developers Heron Land and Gallagher have been looking to develop the land which separated the two parishes for a number of years.

He said: “There were quite a lot of people against building houses and it goes back to when the West Wiltshire District Council said that there would be plans to stop building houses on land between Paxcroft Mead and Hilperton village as it should be left as an open space to protect the identities of both parishes.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: "We welcome the High Court's ruling in this case. The Wiltshire Core Strategy has been carefully developed over a number of years to ensure it offers an appropriate plan for development in the county."

Wiltshire Council has not revealed how much their legal fees were and whether the developers were ordered to pay them.