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Desmond’s consultants push government planners for Westferry Printworks decision
Planning consultants working on behalf of property developer Richard Desmond have contacted civil servants over the past month seeking clarity on the notorious Westferry Printworks planning decision, with the multi-millionaire’s representatives pushing for a swift decision, Inside Housing can reveal.
Correspondence seen by Inside Housing shows representatives from planning consultancy DP9 contacted the government planning office twice, on 5 and 24 October, regarding the fate of the controversial project before receiving a response.
When told by officials on 28 October that a decision on the matter was due “shortly”, DP9 said that the appellant – Westferry Developments Ltd, part of Richard Desmond’s Northern & Shell – wanted a swift decision as it was in the process of deciding whether to appoint consultants to begin the next stage of design work.
“We would therefore be grateful for clarity on the appeal process as soon as possible, in order that the appellant can decide whether to appoint further work to be undertaken by the consultants or whether they should be stood down,” the DP9 email said.
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It comes after Inside Housing revealed in September that Mr Desmond’s firm had agreed to pay the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charges, which were at the heart of the planning scandal, following intense public and media pressure.
The planning application received widespread scrutiny after housing secretary Robert Jenrick accepted that his decision to expedite the application ahead of Tower Hamlets Council’s new CIL regime showed “apparent bias” as it meant the council lost out on roughly £43m.
The application for the 1,500-home scheme, of which 21% will be affordable homes, was approved by Mr Jenrick despite his chief planning inspector rejecting the scheme following a public inquiry on it in 2019.
It later emerged that Mr Jenrick had sat next to Mr Desmond at a Conservative Party fundraiser and discussed the project just weeks before the planning approval was granted and the Conservative Party received a donation from Mr Desmond worth £12,000.
Following the ruling from the High Court that Mr Jenrick’s decision showed “apparent bias”, the government said that the application would be decided by another minister.
The emails seen by Inside Housing reveal that the redetermination of the planning application has been delayed because contact details of several parties who spoke at a public inquiry into the planning application were held in hard copy only.
This meant civil servants were unable to collect them as the offices have been closed because of the pandemic. The email said that this issue has now been resolved and that the planning office would set out the next steps shortly.
Westferry Developments, Northern & Shell and DP9 have all been contacted for a response.
In a written parliamentary statement last week, housing minister Christopher Pincher said: “No decision has yet been made as to which minister will decide the appeal. My officials will be writing to the parties in due course setting out the arrangements for the redetermination of the appeal.”
