The High Court has dismissed the challenge made against the Secretary of State’s decision to approve the redevelopment of the Shell Centre on London’s South Bank.
The action was launched last July by local activist and writer George Turner, who questioned whether the decision was legally sound. Along with Secretary of State Eric Pickles, the challenge was also served against London Mayor Boris Johnson, Lambeth Council, Shell and the developers Braeburn Estates – a joint venture between Canary Wharf Group and Qatari Diar.
Now, with the dismissal of the challenge by Justice Collins, the 1.45 million sq ft mixed-use scheme can finally go ahead. It will deliver eight buildings, ranging in height from five to 37 storeys, comprising 580,000 sq ft of office, retail and leisure space along with 820,000 sq ft of residential accommodation. The 27-storey Shell Centre Tower will remain the centrepiece of the scheme and will continue to be occupied by Shell.
Responding to the ruling Braeburn Estates said in a joint statement: “We are pleased that the challenge to the Secretary of State’s decision to redevelop the Shell Centre has been dismissed.”
“We strongly believe that our redevelopment of this important site will be a catalyst for the regeneration of Waterloo, creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of homes, which in turn will benefit London and the UK”.
The statement continued to say that the planning process has been ‘thorough and comprehensive’ and has the support of the Mayor of London, Lambeth Council, The Planning Inspector and the Secretary of State.
The joint developers are now hopeful that this is the final stage in the process and they look forward to commencing the scheme later this year.
Deputy Mayor for Planning, Sir Edward Lister, also welcomed the ruling, saying: “It is good news for South London that this unnecessary and hugely expensive legal challenge has been dismissed”.
However this may not be the end of the matter as it has emerged today that, in light of the judge’s criticism of the Planning Inspector’s handling of the inquiry in 2013, George Turner is considering an appeal.
Justice Collins raised concerns that, although the inspector’s decisions were justifiable, the way he arrived at them was unacceptable, ‘giving rise to an appearance of bias’.
“I think I’ve got very good grounds, given what the judge said,” Turner told Building Design. “I started this case because it is my firm belief that important decisions on major sites which will shape the future of our city for generations to come need to be subject to the highest levels of public scrutiny.”
He will decide whether to take the matter to the Court of Appeal in the next few days.
Story: Chris Grigorovsky & Neil Bird
Previous Post
Bupa plans new MediaCityUK Healthcare HQ
