The High Court will hear Buckinghamshire Council's challenge to 975 homes on Epilepsy Society land in mid-February. A campaign group has a separate case.

The High Court will hear Buckinghamshire Council’s challenge to the Government’s approval of up to 975 homes on Green Belt land at the Epilepsy Society’s site in Chalfont St Peter, with the hearing listed for mid-February. Council leader Steven Broadbent confirmed the date in a statement on 10 November.

Chalfont St Peter is about ten miles east of High Wycombe, but the case was argued here: the public inquiry into the scheme opened at the council’s offices on Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe on 30 September 2025.

What the council says

Mr Broadbent said:

“We have had confirmation from the High Court that they will hear our case against this development and that the hearing has been listed for mid-February. This relates to Buckinghamshire Council’s challenge to the Secretary of State’s decision to grant permission for more than 900 homes on a Green Belt site in Chalfont St Peter.”

He set out why the council is fighting it:

“We firmly believe this is not proportionate or appropriate and that there are important questions about how this decision was made, particularly regarding the balance between the benefits of the development and the impact on the Green Belt.”

The council has not given an exact date for the hearing or said how long it is expected to last.

Two cases, not one

A second challenge is running alongside the council’s, brought by the village campaign group Sense4CSP. Mr Broadbent was keen to keep them apart:

“It’s important to draw a distinction between another, separate, legal challenge also underway through a local campaign group. We are of course supportive of any action that questions the soundness of this decision and while we are working with [Sense4CSP] in areas of overlap, these remain two separate cases making different arguments using differing legal basis, rather than either a duplication of effort or a joint challenge.”

The council said it will “continue to share updates as this legal process progresses”.

How it got here

The Epilepsy Society’s outline application, reference PL/22/2898/OA, was never decided by the council: the charity appealed against its failure to determine it. According to the council’s inquiry page, the scheme is for:

  • up to 975 homes, including affordable housing
  • up to 75 care accommodation beds
  • a new primary school, local shops and employment space
  • replacement sports pitches, landscaping and car parking

The land is at the National Society for Epilepsy, Chesham Lane, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 0RJ. The Secretary of State took the appeal over and allowed it, publishing the decision letter and inspector’s report on 29 June 2026 (Planning Inspectorate reference APP/X0415/W/25/3362050).

What it means for you

The next step is the hearing in mid-February. The council’s case, in its leader’s words, is about “how this decision was made”, in particular how the benefits of the homes were balanced against the impact on the Green Belt.

If you live in Chalfont St Peter or Chalfont Common, the council’s inquiry page holds the documents from the inquiry, and Sense4CSP publishes updates on its own case. We will report the hearing and the judgment.