Jenrick e-mails reveal push to speed up £1bn Westferry approval

Robert Jenrick is facing renewed pressure after new documents suggested that the housing secretary started pressing for approval on the £1bn Westferry Printworks the day after he met with Tory donor Richard Desmond. Papers released by the government – comprising texts and e-mails between Jenrick, his department, Desmond and representatives of the media tycoon’s development firm Northern & Shell – indicated that Jenrick was “insistent” that a decision was reached before the scheme’s viability was “impacted by a change in the London CIL regime”. Officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government flagged the case as urgent in their correspondence. Over a two-month period, the department repeatedly referenced the 15 January deadline for when Tower Hamlets Council would raise levies, which would have cost Desmond an expected £45m. EG takes a closer look at how events played out in the months leading to the planning decision in January. How events unfolded Following the Conservative fundraising dinner at the Carlton Club on the evening of 18 November, Jenrick and Desmond exchanged texts planning to arrange a formal meeting. On the next day, Northern & Shell contacted Jenrick and he asked his personal assistant to set up the meeting, planned for one month later. Texts, 18 November RJ: Good to spend time with you tonight Richard. See you again soon I hope. Robert Jenrick RD: Thanks Robert I really appreciate your text Will call your office tomorrow to arrange Very best Richard RJ: I’d like that. See you soon. Robert E-mails from an MHCLG official the next day showed Jenrick had highlighted the appeal with “some sensitivity around timing”. E-mail, 20 November, 10.45 “SoS (secretary of state) has flagged a case in Westferry London Docklands (redevelopment of a printworks or something like that?). He understands a ministerial decision on this is likely to be coming up soon and also that there may be some sensitivity with timing of a final decision. Given this he has asked that advice be prepared for the first few days of the new Gov so a decision can be made and communicated before Xmas.” In text messages that same day, Desmond said: “Good news the inspectors reports have gone to you today, we appreciate the speed as we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe [sic] for nothing!” Jenrick replied: “It is important not to give any appearance of being influenced by applicants and so I think it is best that we don’t meet until after the matter has been decided.” Pushing for approval A series of high-importance e-mails from MHCLG employees dated 6 December reiterated the need to decide the appeal by January, four weeks ahead of the statutory decision time. One of these read: “To avoid delay, we will seek to issue before the council adopts a new local plan on 15 January 2020. This will require a decision from the minister by 7 January.” This comment was repeated in a number of e-mails. On 13 December, an employee also noted intervention from former housing secretary James Brokenshire: “The [former] SoS requested that a decision be issued before Xmas.” The meeting planned for 19 December was moved due to Jenrick’s attendance at parliament and he did not respond to texts from Desmond on 15 December and 23 December. The latter chased a response and stressing the approval deadline of 15 January, to avoid the potential £45m in levies from the council’s new CIL regime. Texts, 23 December RD: Morning Robert How does the advice look? We have to get the approval before January 15 otherwise payment of 45 million pounds to tower hamlets meaning we have to stop and reduce social housing Thanks Robert look forward to speaking soon Best Richard An internal e-mail from MHCLG, dated 28 December, confirmed that Jenrick approved the scheme that day and “would like this communicated asap in the new year”. On 9 January another e-mail stated: “On timing, my understanding is that SoS is/was insistent that decision issued this week i.e. tomorrow – as next week the viability of the scheme is impacted by a change in the London CIL regime.” E-mail, 28 December “The SoS has just read out that he would like to approve the application. He would like this communicated asap in the new year – within the first few days back.” Urgent e-mails continued on 14 January before the deadline of 5pm. The decision was issued that day and made public on 15 January, on the day that Tower Hamlets introduced the new levy. The reaction Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs said: “The revelations about the Westferry Printworks decision have blown apart confidence in our planning system under Mr Jenrick. The documents he was forced to release are damning and it looks like he rushed through the decision to help save the developer money and short-change residents. “The minister referred to our borough as ‘rotten’, and messages from the developer called our council ‘Marxist’. This name calling says more about them and their disregard for me residents whose borough it is, and who rightly want much needed affordable homes and money for local services.” In an accompanying letter to the chair of the housing, communities and local government select committee Clive Betts, Jenrick said there was “no bias in favour of the developer”, rather a “perfectly legitimate interest in making a decision prior to the material change”. He wrote: “Any personal financial benefit for the parties involved in the development played absolutely no part in my consideration of the application, or the time scale for approving it: the decision was restricted to the consideration of the material considerations in the planning system.” A spokesman for MHCLG said: “The secretary of state has been clear that he took his decision in line with his long stated views that we face a generational challenge to build the homes of all types the country needs. “The timing and effect of a pending new community infrastructure levy tariff is a valid material consideration, as it may have effect on the viability of a development and the likelihood that it will be built out in good time, and the published documents show this was a considered decision taken on its merits and with an open mind.” To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette