Residents’ hopes that a legal case would be mounted to challenge a planning inspectorate’s decision against gravel extraction have been dashed.

On Thursday, May 4, permission for the winning and working of minerals on land next to Wennington Hall Farm, New Road, Wennington, was given.

People had appealed to the council to pay a nominal fee to gain independent advice from the High Court on whether it would be worth challenging the planning inspector’s decision.

But deputy leader of Havering Council, Councillor Damian White said: “We have sought expert legal advice from a QC [barrister] on appealing the planning inspector’s decision in the High Court, which can only be challenged on legal grounds, and we have been advised that there is no prospect of a successful appeal by the council.”

A motion brought by the Independent Residents Group to appeal the inspector’s decision was defeated by 28 to 16 at a full council meeting on Wednesday, June 14.

Wennington Village Association member, Brigitte Antal said: “I think, having been talking to everyone round here, everyone feels let down.

“It’s very sad. It [gravel extraction] is happening for a reason and it isn’t for the community.

“We do have grounds for an appeal, it is clear it is landfill and not gravel extraction.”

Because the approved application involves extracting about 30pc from the land and 70pc from imported inert waste, the association believes this shows the site will be a landfill and not gravel extraction.

The plans will also involve around 270 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) movements every day, for the next nine years.

For a challenge to be mounted, the council would need to successfully argue that the inspectorate’s decision was legally flawed.

But in correspondence seen by the Recorder, the council’s advisers say they believe the planning inspector – Stephen Roscoe – interpreted the law and regulations around green belt development correctly.

Janet Hickey, 65, who has lived on The Green, Wennington, for 45 years said: “I feel disappointed. Either they [the council] believe in clean air or they don’t. Personally they should be giving us more support.”

Ms Antal made further criticisms that no official letter of email about the planning inspectorate’s decision had been sent to residents.

“There’s elderly people here who are unable to leave their house,” she added.

“If they don’t receive a letter they don’t know anything about this.”