Last month, James Brokenshire, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, dismissed Peel Holdings' appeal against Salford City Council's refusal to allow the company to build up to 600 houses, plus a further 165, in the Broadoak area of the Worsley Greenway.
He agreed with the Inspector that "the proposals would impact negatively on the character and appearance of the Greenway" (see here).
Today, however, Peel Holdings' subsid, Peel Investments, announced that it would be seeking a judicial review into the decision which it claims was "unlawful and should be quashed...
"Peel Investments (North) Limited will bring a claim for a statutory review of the decision by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to dismiss two appeals for new homes at Broadoak in Salford, Greater Manchester" stated the company.
"The central question will be whether the Secretary of State correctly interpreted national policy, particularly in respect of housing and the presumption in favour of sustainable development" it added "It is Peel's contention that the Secretary of State's errors render the decision unlawful and should be quashed."
Peel added, with sentiments that have met with scorn on social media, that "In our view, the decision brushed aside the genuine needs of families and people on affordable housing waiting lists. These are needs that are not going to be met in any other way. It cannot be right that Salford's housing supply is only about numbers and that it doesn't matter what gets built where or for whom."
"In those circumstances, where there is no alternative to meeting the real needs of people, national policy and housing needs must prevail over local policies that seek to restrict development" it stated "We think the Government has failed to correctly apply its own National Planning Policy Framework in this case."
On the RAID (Residents Against Inappropriate Developments) Facebook site one campaigner wrote: "No surprise there, they are like a dog with a bone, don't know when to let go. Affordable homes don't make me laugh, more like making loads of money and not giving a hoot about the local residents and the council. Boycott anything to do with Peel Holdings."
Which just about summed up Salford people's reactions...
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