Published: 18 March 2026
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Forthcoming fundraising event
David v Goliath at the High Court The closing weeks of 2025 saw STAUNCH seeking further legal advice as to options open to us following the devastating decisions to allow the appeal in respect of the warehouse development on the Castle Manor Farm site, and the more recent one by North Northants Council to publish the decision notice in respect of the Glebe Land.
The advice we received is as follows:
Castle Manor Farm: we could request a statutory review of the Planning Inspector’s decision. We could not do this purely on the basis that we did not agree with the decision but only if we could show specific legal errors by the Inspector. The opinion of counsel is there are two small areas where we may have a case. However, even with these opportunities the chances of success would be very slim. As a result, and on the balance of probability in being successful, a decision was taken in December not to pursue the legal redress in relation to Castle Manor Farm. STAUNCH will continue to monitor all activity in respect of Castle Manor Farm to ensure everything undertaken in the building and implementation of the development, conducted as per the necessary planning conditions imposed by the Inspector.
Glebe Land: Our legal team believed the situation with the Glebe Land is much stronger and we have a convincing case for a judicial review that would be worth pursuing. Ideally, we would have wished to pursue both these matters, however, to do so would require us to raise at least a further £50,000 – £80,000 in the short term and significantly more should there be further appeals by the developers. On balance, STAUNCH could not be confident this could be achieved in the necessary timescale; a risk that STAUNCH could not financially afford to take. Reluctantly, STAUNCH had to adopt a realistic approach as to what is achievable within available resources.
On the 29th December, an application for Judicial Review was filed with the High Court in respect of the Glebe Land. To make this application it was necessary for us to engage a firm of solicitors, Goodenough Ring Solicitors, a specialist environmental and planning firm, who have previously and successfully represented the campaign group in the Weekley Hall Woods’ hearing and the more recent Wellingborough trees case to act on our behalf. Our application focuses heavily on the proposed unsuitability of land suggested by the developers for offsetting the impact of the development on the Upper Nene Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest and the continued failure of the council to process the matter in the correct manner.
Recognising that STAUNCH relies totally on donations to fund any legal action, our legal team have agreed to represent us on a 50% discounted fee basis. Even with this generous support, STAUNCH still needs to raise a further £20,000 in the immediate future.
So, what are the next steps?
The High Court will consider our application over the coming weeks and hopefully take a decision allowing our case to continue to a full hearing. This will not be a quick exercise with time scales for a full judgement being anything from 6 – 18 months dependent on the complexity of the case.
Our fundraising team continue activity to help ensure we have sufficient money to take on the council and developers. We hope you will feel able to continue your unwavering support. The STAUNCH team are all community volunteers and do not claim any personal expenses, covering these from their own pockets. This ensures that all the donations we receive can go directly to funding our legal team. Should anyone wish to donate please visit our GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/wildlife-not-warehouses-2994q Please do share this link on your own social media channels. You can also donate via our website at: Fundraising – STAUNCH Campaign – Save the Upper Nene Valley If you prefer to pay directly to the STAUNCH bank account, please do not hesitate to email me for the relevant bank details.
Finally, despite our best efforts, we can only apologise for not being able to provide the result that we all wished and hoped for in respect of Castle Manor Farm. Facebook – @STAUNCH Instagram – staunch.campaign X (formerly Twitter) – @STAUNCHcampaign Kevin Shapland Chair STAUNCH
February Additional Note: STAUNCH can now confirm that their application for a Judicial Review has been accepted by the High Court and await confirmation of a date.
Posted: Wed, 18th March 2026
