A GROUP of South Oxfordshire residents who tried to challenge their local council's housing plans will now take their fight to the court of appeal.

Bioabundance, a campaign group, were refused permission to take South Oxfordshire District Council's Local Plan to a judicial review on April 29.

The group had challenged the plan for not doing enough to take account of climate change, and said councillors had approved the plan under duress.

The judge, Justice Lang, disagreed.

This came after another High Court judge, Justice Dove, had also thrown out the campaign group's case for judicial review.

As a result of the two failed challenges, Bioabundance was ordered to pay the legal costs of SODC and the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, totalling £10,000.

Now the group will take their fight to the court of appeal.

Ian Ashley, a director of Bioabundance, said: “High Court judges could not see the legal strength of our arguments. We are going to the Court of Appeal to ask,’Could you mark their work please? They could be wrong'.”

The council said it is awaiting notification from the Court of Appeal of any future step.