Village awaits quarry challenge decision as they take their case to the High Court

Hamble’s fight against a proposed quarry now rests with a High Court judge after a hearing that could shape the village’s future for years to come.

A statutory review hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice examined Hamble Parish Council’s claim that the Planning Inspector did not properly carry out their role during the 2025 appeal process that ultimately granted permission for the proposed Cemex quarry.

Residents travelled to London on Tuesday to demonstrate the strength of local opposition before Mr Justice Chamberlain.

Members of the community showed their commitment to protecting the village from a development they believe would be too close to homes, schools and sensitive natural habitats.

During the highly technical hearing, the parish council’s barrister, Ben Fullbrook, argued that the Planning Inspector failed to follow the correct legal process during the appeal, acting irrationally in how hydrological impacts on internationally designated conservation areas were assessed.

The council argues these environmental considerations were not properly taken into account when permission was granted for the proposed quarry.

Mr Justice Chamberlain heard submissions from all parties involved in the case. Throughout the hearing, several issues raised by the judge were addressed by Mr Fullbrook on behalf of the parish council.

The hearing lasted around an hour and a half before the case was reserved for judgment. Mr Justice Chamberlain indicated that he would provide his decision in the “important case” to the legal teams “relatively soon”.

Outside the court, parish council chairman Chris Jones said he was pleased with how the case had been presented.

Mr Jones said: “So far, so good. The team has done everything we could have hoped for. You are in a court, so you never know what the outcome is going to be, but whatever the outcome, it is certainly not the end of the road.

“The process was very well considered and fair from what we heard today. I think the judge was thoroughly briefed. He clearly came with a lot of questions to ask our counsel, which I think Ben handled really well.

“I can’t imagine that we could have argued that case any better than we did. We are very happy.”

Mr Jones said the community would continue its campaign regardless of the outcome.

He added: “We will appeal if we are allowed to because the village’s sentiment was very clear that, while there is a chance, we need to keep pushing on.

“I think the more challenging question is what happens would be after we run out of legal challenges and how we are going to organise in the village to try and keep developers to account.

“We’ve still got an awful lot of runway where we can push, challenge and hold people to account. Unless the village changes its mind, we are committed to taking this as far as we possibly can.”

Christian Walton, vice-chair of governors at Hamble Primary School, described the hearing as “interesting” and said it was difficult to predict the outcome, but stressed that residents remained committed to protecting the village’s future.

Cemex says the quarry will serve local building projects and infrastructure needs in Hampshire with the extraction of sand and gravel.