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Jenrick pushed MHCLG staff to fast-track Westferry Printworks decision to avoid council charges, documents reveal
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick ignored advice from government officials and was “insistent” on pushing through planning approval for the Westferry Printworks scheme before the council introduced new charges, documents reveal.
Correspondence released by the government show Mr Jenrick pressured civil servants into fast-tracking a decision on the controversial 1,500-home development on the Isle of Dogs to avoid council charges that would have cost the developer – a Conservative Party donor – around £40m.
An email between civil servants said: “It is not the case that the SoS [secretary of state] subjective decision cannot be challenged at all. We have to provide [redacted] reasoning in the [decision letter] as to justify why the SoS is going against the recc [sic] of inspector and officials.
“On timing, my understanding is that SoS is/was insistent that decision issues this week ie tomorrow – as next week the viability of the scheme is impacted by a change in the London CIL regime.”
The planning application was approved – against the planning inspector’s recommendation – on 15 January 2020, one day before Tower Hamlets’ Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charge was introduced, saving developer Richard Desmond £40m.
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Jenrick ‘refused to discuss’ Westferry development with Conservative Party donor at dinner, MPs toldThis timing of the decision angered the council which then launched legal action that eventually led to Mr Jenrick accepting the decision was unlawful on the grounds of ‘apparent bias’.
Inside Housing previously revealed that Mr Jenrick initially intended to challenge claims of apparent bias but later backed down.
The newly disclosed documents also reveal more about the relationship between Mr Jenrick and Mr Desmond, who sat together at a Conservative Party fundraiser, where the latter tried to discuss his development with the housing secretary.
Mr Jenrick initiated a conversation via text to the developer after the fundraiser to say it was good to spend time together and that he “hoped” to see him soon. It comes after it was revealed Mr Desmond had showed the cabinet minister a video on the project despite Mr Jenrick saying he refused to discuss it.
A text from Mr Desmond two days later highlighted his desire to have the application approved before the CIL charges were introduced.
It said: “We appreciate the speed as we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe [sic] for nothing!”
