CAMPAIGNERS battling plans for a supermarket in a market town renowned for its food shops have spoken of their joy after a High Court judge quashed a decision to grant it planning permission.

Mr Justice Dove overruled Ryedale District Council's move to give developers GMI Holbeck Land the go-ahead to build the store in Wentworth Street car park, in Malton, North Yorkshire.

He said an officer's report to the council's planning committee had "misled members and misled them significantly".

Lawyers for the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate, which is proposing to build a Booth's store on the livestock market nearby, had argued five grounds on which the planning consent granted by the council should be deemed unlawful.

The judge found in favour of estate on four of those grounds, although just one would have been sufficient for the planning consent to be quashed.

The court order also provides for all the estate’s costs in the matter to be recovered from the council.

Many residents, including former TV presenter Selina Scott, said the supermarket would hit independent retailers' trade.

Roddy Bushell, the estate's manager, said: “The outcome of this case is tremendous news for Malton.

"It has been a long fight, but finally this shadow over the town is lifting”.

Councillor Linda Cowling, leader of Ryedale District Council, said the range of decisions by High Court judges in the case had been surprising, varying from a judicial review claim of the estate as being deemed totally without merit to the finding of Mr Justice Dove.

She said: “This is an indication of just how complex planning law relating to retail planning applications is."

“Ryedale District Council has a duty to defend its decisions if it believes they are reasonable having regard to the views of a High Court judge and barristers opinion."