Campaign group the Twentieth Century Society has said a Court of Appeal ruling centred on Renzo Piano’s Paddington Cube that found ministers and civil servants at fault could be crucial in helping to save a grade II listed office complex in Surrey from redevelopment.

The society is calling on housing and communities secretary James Brokenshire to “call in” Elmbridge Borough Council’s July decision to approve the redevelopment of Walton Court, designed by Sir John Burnet, Tait and Partners, and says last week’s Cube decision could be an important weapon in its battle. Walton Court was built as the headquarters of frozen food giant Birds Eye in the 1960s and given listed status in 1995.

The call-in proceedure typically involves the appointment of a planning inspector to hold a public inquiry into proposals and establish whether a local authority has determined an application with proper regard to planning policy. 

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