“Biased” Jenrick backs down on Desmond’s £1bn Isle of Dogs plan

Robert Jenrick showed “apparent bias” when he approved Richard Desmond’s £1bn Isle of Dogs plans. The housing secretary has agreed that the planning approval should be quashed for the 1,500-home Westferry Printworks scheme, which he awarded against the judgment of Tower Hamlets Council and the advice of the Planning Inspectorate. The timing of Jenrick’s decision allowed Desmond to avoid a £40m bill over the scheme, as a new CIL rate was introduced by Tower Hamlets the next day. Jenrick accepted his decision was unlawful when faced with a court demand to hand over all correspondence concerning the matter. He approved the application on 14 January, despite a recommendation from the planning inspector that the appeal be dismissed. In March, Tower Hamlets Council and the Greater London Authority initiated legal action against the secretary of state, alleging that the timing of the decision appeared to show bias in the decision to allow the appeal. Faced with the prospect of having to release the documentation relating to the decision, the secretary of state chose to allow the planning permission to be pulled. Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs said: “We may never know what e-mails and memos the secretary of state received before making his decision and what influence they had, but his reluctance to disclose them speaks volumes. “In siding with the developer, he went against not only the planning inspector but also the council’s strategic development committee and the residents whose lives would be directly impacted by this scheme.” Deputy mayor for planning, regeneration and skills, Jules Pipe, said: “The planning inspector agreed with the mayor that more affordable housing could be delivered and that the plans would harm views of Tower Bridge.” Pipe said the GLA was still concerned about the scale of the scheme and development of locally-designated open space. He added: “We expect any future decision by ministers to take all our concerns into account and hope permission will be refused.” A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “While we reject the suggestion that there was any actual bias in the decision, we have agreed that the application will be redetermined.”   To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette