Housing secretary Michael Gove is understood to have asked a court to overturn his decision to block a development which had been approved by a council in Kent.
His decision last month over the 165-home development in Crane Valley near Tunbridge Wells was thought to have been the first of its kind when he blocked the project on aesthetic grounds.
He said the proposed mix of one to five-bed homes did not reflect the local design code or the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The move came after Mr Gove warned housebuilders in November that his department would block new-build schemes that were not aesthetically ‘high quality’.
The Berkeley Homes development had been approved by Tunbridge Wells borough council and backed by a Government planning inspector.
The council argued it would deliver new housing for the area.
Mr Gove said the planned homes were of a ‘generic suburban nature’ and did not ‘reflect the expectations’ of the local design code.
However, he has now reportedly asked for his original decision to be quashed, claiming that housing supply figures he relied on were out of date.
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