Holiday village operator Center Parcs is seeking to overturn Mid Beds District Council's decision to refuse is application to build its fifth holiday village in Woburn, Bedfordshire. On 5 September, the company submitted a request to the secretary of state for the environment, David Miliband, to appeal against the decision.

The development – which would include 700 chalets, a hotel and car parking for 1,400 vehicles – has already been the subject of consultations for more than a year.

The council turned down the application for the £160m holiday village in July this year, saying that the development would be inappropriate in the south Bedfordshire Green Belt “because of the harm to the open countryside, harm to the visual amenity of the Green Belt and because the encroachment of such a development into the Green Belt could create a precedent which would further threaten the local countryside.”

However, Center Parcs believes it has a strong enough case to refer its Woburn plans to the secretary of state for the environment and expects to hear “as soon as possible” from Miliband regarding its submission.

Center Parcs’ director of development, Don Camilleri, said: “Center Parcs has considered very carefully the result we got from the planning committee in July, when the voting was nine against nine and planning permission was only turned down by the chair’s casting vote.

“We also took account of the conclusions drawn by the council’s planning office, which essentially concluded that our development would fit within that site in the countryside,” he said.

Camilleri concluded: “Center Parcs has also been encouraged by the significant support we have from the local population, local businesses, council members and other significant personalities as well as groups like Friends of the Earth. Center Parcs now waits for the secretary of state to give us a date for the hearing and hopefully this will be concluded as soon as possible.” Details: www.midbeds.gov.uk