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Domesday Book parishes have lost a High Court battle against plans to build thousands of new homes to meet the needs of Stansted airport. Felsted, Takeley, Birchanger and Little Dunmow parish councils in Essex, and a local conservation group, banded together in a bid to save from extinction their "quintessentially English" way of life.

But a judge refused their plea to quash part of the local plan for their area dealing with the location of housing to serve Stansted, Britain's fastest-growing airport. The villagers also wanted a second public inquiry into the highly controversial issue of making the right provision for the airport, expected to expand in the near future from eight million to 15 million passengers a year.