Saudi billionaire landowner Wafic Said has joined villagers in Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire, at a public inquiry to fight proposals by developers Tritax Big Box and Albion Land to build 13 giant logistics warehouses across six million square feet of countryside beside the M40.
The 86-year-old businessman and former Conservative donor, whose sprawling Tusmore Park estate lies close to the proposed Baynards Green development, has partnered with Stoke Lyne Parish Council to oppose the scheme before the Planning Inspectorate.
Logistics operators Tritax Big Box and Albion Land launched the appeal after Cherwell District Council narrowly rejected planning permission for the 150-hectare greenfield development in January.
Mr Said, who accused Cherwell Council of having "capitulated to developers", joined local residents in hiring legal representation after the local authority declined to defend its original refusal at the appeal stage.
Council refusal and appeal dispute
Cherwell District Council, which is governed by a coalition of Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, turned down the warehouse application in early 2026. However, deputy council leader Chris Brant suggested the authority would not contest the appeal because the likelihood of successfully defending the decision was low.
Following several planning decisions that were subsequently overturned on appeal by central inspectors, Cherwell District Council has since been stripped of its powers to determine major planning applications within the district.
The local government district covers northern Oxfordshire, including the market towns of Banbury and Bicester alongside surrounding rural villages. The Planning Inspectorate, an executive agency of the UK government, holds the authority to overturn local council decisions on major infrastructure and housing developments.
Scale of the proposed Baynards Green warehouses
Barrister James Maurici KC, representing both Tusmore Park and local residents at the inquiry, delivered a fierce opening statement warning of the immense scale of the proposed commercial units.
Mr Maurici told the hearing that the 13 mega-sheds would reach heights of 23 to 25 metres, equivalent to 82 feet, making them taller than five double-decker buses or three two-storey houses stacked on top of one another.
The legal counsel explained that the development would cover 570,000 square metres of logistics space across 150 hectares of farmland, with a combined footprint spanning 1.4 kilometres from north to south and 2.2 kilometres from east to west.
He added that the structures would occupy an area equivalent to about 45 football pitches and would remain visible across the flat Oxfordshire countryside from up to two kilometres away.
Describing Baynards Green as an attractive and sensitive area that hosts priority and protected species, Mr Maurici argued that the proposal breached reasonable limits on commercial expansion. "This is simply not the right place for development of this kind to go," he said, adding that government commitments to economic growth do not mean "any development anywhere at any cost".
Community legal campaign in Stoke Lyne
Faced with the council's decision not to defend its verdict, villagers in Stoke Lyne established the Stoke Lyne Action Team to organize local opposition and raise funds for legal representation.
The action group raised £50,000 to hire specialized planning barristers for the public inquiry, effectively forcing the small rural community to mount its own legal defence against the commercial developers.
The situation mirrors actions in the neighboring Oxfordshire village of Piddington, where residents recently held a symbolic referendum to secede from the UK in protest against government plans to construct accommodation for 1,250 migrants nearby.
Speaking at the inquiry, local university student Bertie Buckle warned inspectors that constructing the warehouse complex would create an eyesore that would break the charm of the community.
Economic claims and developer arguments
Lawyers representing developers Tritax Big Box and Albion Land argued that the strategic position beside Junction 10 of the M40 motorway makes Baynards Green an essential location for regional freight and logistics infrastructure.
Lord Charles Banner KC, appearing for Tritax, acknowledged that large logistics developments inevitably cause some environmental harm. However, he told the inquiry that such impacts are baked into national planning policy and should not block projects that serve the national interest.
Giles Cannock KC, representing Albion Land, submitted that exceptional circumstances justified developing the greenfield site next to Junction 10 of the M40 motorway.
The developers stated that the 13 warehouses would generate up to £410 million annually for the local economy and create thousands of jobs, adding that major freight and retail companies including GXO, DHL, and a FTSE 100 retailer have expressed interest in occupying the site.
Background of Wafic Said and upcoming ruling
Wafic Said, who holds Syrian, Saudi, and Canadian citizenship, is a prominent international investor and philanthropist based in Monaco who maintains residence in Belgravia, London. He became widely known in Britain during the 1980s as a major financial donor to Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government and as a key negotiator in the al-Yamamah arms agreement between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
His decision to fund legal opposition alongside Stoke Lyne Parish Council has brought significant national attention to the public inquiry into the Baynards Green logistics park.
The Planning Inspectorate inquiry into the appeal by Tritax Big Box and Albion Land is scheduled to run until the end of October before inspectors issue their formal recommendation.
