A CROWDFUNDING appeal to pay for a legal challenge over planning permission granted for an industrial unit has funded enough money to take action.

The Colne Valley Collective have beaten their £6,000 target which they intend to use to pay for a High Court challenge.

This is following Direct Meats being forced to apply for the retrospective permission to keep the buildings after it was reported to Colchester Council in 2016 for breaching existing planning conditions.

Colchester Council then gave the retrospective planning permission for industrial development in the Chappel countryside.

Chappel Parish Council is opposed to the firm’s application to retain the new buildings raising concerns about the amount of traffic going to and from the site as well as the noise and smell coming from factories.

A spokesperson for the collective, said: "We have now raised enough to have paid for expert legal advice and for our specialist solicitors to initiate action.

"The solicitors have now written to the Council inviting the Council to quash the planning permission dated November 9, 2018 so that it can be correctly determined in light of all the relevant facts which were severely lacking, when the matter went to committee on November 8, 2018.

"The Council have until 4pm on December 14, 2018 to respond.

"If the Council do not respond appropriately we will make our application to the High Court seeking an order to quash the 9 November 2018 decision and seek a costs award against the Council.

"It is tax payer’s money that would be being wasted to pay for these costs."

The crowdfunding page has reached £6,345, and ends on December 21.

For more information on the campaign, or to donate, visit: www.crowdjustice.com/case/holding-councils-to-account.