AWENDAW — The state’s highest court has paused construction of a potentially pollutive subdivision on the doorstep of one of South Carolina’s most pristine wilderness areas.

In a Dec. 18 opinion, as a legal battle over the Awendaw development continues to unfold, the S.C. Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that allowed construction to continue on the town’s White Tract.

“We’re relieved, because once the damage is done, it’s done,” said Amy Armstrong, executive director of the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, which is representing Friends of Coastal South Carolina in challenging the project.