Campaigners have forced a High Court judicial review of Home Office plans for an accommodation centre for asylum seekers outside Bicester.

Dionne Arrowsmith

Champagne corks were popping at the home of Dionne Arrowsmith, one of the leaders of the Bicester Action Group, who with Cherwell district councillors, led the campaign against the open-door centre for 750 asylum seekers on Ministry of Defence land off the Bicester-Thame road near Piddington.

Last summer, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott overturned the decision of independent planning inspector Paul Taylor that the centre should be refused planning permission. Mrs Arrowsmith said: "It is great news. It is what we have been waiting for. I have said all along that anyone with an ounce of intelligence would see there were flaws in Mr Prescott's decision."

Cherwell district councillors agreed in November to ask the High Court for a judicial review.

Yesterday's High Court decision means that the case, on both sides, has still to be won.

Mrs Arrowsmith added: "We now have something else to work towards. We have got to win as we have had so many hurdles so far that we have successfully overcome."

She said members of the Bicester Action Group would turn up in force when the High Court hearing begins.

Cherwell leader George Reynolds said: "I am extremely pleased. We believe we have a strong case and by this decision we shall have the opportunity to present our case that an inappropriate procedure was used to obtain planning permission. We expect to win our case."

Lawrie Stratford, Cherwell's spokesman on the centre, said: "This will give the residents in the southern part of the district and Bicester and surrounding villages in particular some encouragement that the district council is justified in taking action against the process to approve this centre.

"The district council is committed to ensuring that in a matter as significant as this the proper legal processes must be used."

Piddington Parish Council chairman Marjorie Read said: "I am delighted as we have had to wait so long for a decision."

Bicester MP Tony Baldry said: "Given the planning inspector's report it would have been highly questionable if Cherwell District Council had not been given leave to take it to the High Court. The next step is to get this heard in the High Court. It certainly gives momentum in the campaign for people living in the Bicester area."

Mr Baldry said he expected to be able to give people more details of the judicial review process when David Davis, Conservative shadow Home Secretary, comes to Bicester on February 26.

Mr Baldry added: "This is the first indication the courts have given that this is the wrong location and wrong size in planning terms for asylum centres, which is what the Government has been told all along."

Cherwell expects the hearing to be between March l and April 7. But it is likely the decision of the court will not be announced at the hearing itself, but will be handed down shortly afterwards.