Richard Desmond has secured planning consent for a £1bn redevelopment of his Westferry Printworks on the Isle of Dogs.
The decision comes despite the planning inspector’s advice that the scheme should be refused.
Northern & Shell, which used to own the Daily Express and Daily Star, is planning to build 1,500 homes on the 15-acre site in East London, along with shops and restaurants, offices, and a new secondary school.
The scheme had been hit by planning delays after Tower Hamlets failed to reach a decision before its legal deadline. The case was then sent to the planning inspector, who advised Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to refuse the application.
The mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said the decision set a “worrying precedent”.
