Doncaster council is launching a challenge to last year’s High Court decision allowing Rossington Hall Investments to go ahead with the development of a 930ha (2,300 acres) site south of the Yorkshire town.
The proposed £200m project includes 371,600 sq m (4m sq ft) of business space, a golf course and a hotel. It is the brainchild of MetroCentre developer Sir John Hall, whose son Douglas is chairman of Rossington Hall Investments.
Deputy High Court Judge Robin Purchas QC allowed Rossington’s appeal against the councils refusal (which was backed by a government-appointed planning inspector) to include the scheme in its unitary development plan (UDP).
In the Court of Appeal today, the authority’s counsel, Simon Pickles, argued that the Deputy Judge was wrong in deciding that the council had failed to consider Rossingtons objections to its proposed modifications to Doncaster’s draft UDP. He argued that the Councils formal reasoning with regard to the objections had been expressed in a report to the Planning and Design Services Committee in February 1998.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) also objected to the scheme because it would involve the loss of high-quality farmland.
The hearing continues.
EGi News 03/07/00
