LRIE task group to meet in secret tonight
Group will assess council process which lead to EU law breach
THE task group looking into how West Berkshire Council breached procurement law over regenerating the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) will be held tonight (Thursday).
However, the meeting will be held in private and is only intended to be an information- gathering exercise.
Plans to redevelop the estate have been a council ambition for more than 10 years, but have been hit by a series of setbacks and costly legal challenges.
Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that the council had entered into an unlawful agreement with developer St Modwen.
The council was found to have breached EU law by failing to follow the correct procurement process and the development agreement, signed in 2015, was subsequently declared ineffective.
The council spent £363,545.66 of taxpayers’ money defending itself in the High Court and the Court of Appeal against Faraday Development Limited (FDL).
FDL had been granted permission for a £50m scheme comprising retail and housing space, a hotel and restaurant and an additional exit and entrance road on to the A339 in 2009.
But when it submitted an identical application three years later, to renew the lapsed permission, it was refused by the council.
The council later announced St Modwen as its preferred developer and entered into a development agreement.
The council ruled out an independent inquiry into its decision, saying that it would be a waste of time and money when a decision had been made in the courts.
Instead, a LRIE task group has been established to “understand the advice and guidance received” when the council procured its “preferred partner” for the redevelopment.
The group will comprise Conservative councillors James Cole and Claire Rowles, Lib Dem opposition leader Lee Dillon and deputy opposition leader Jeff Brooks.
Council officer Stephen Chard told a recent overview and scrutiny management commission committee meeting that the task group would meet on July 25.
He said that the main purpose of the meeting was “to get some background to what has happened in the past” and set out what will happen at future meetings.
However, the decision for the group to meet in private has been criticised by the Newbury Community Football Group (NCFG), which has campaigned to save the Faraday Road football ground from development.
The group has asked Newbury town and district councillors to support opening up the task group to include people who will be impacted by its findings and recommendations.
NCFG chairman Paul Morgan said: “We are surprised and disappointed that this steering group will meet in private as we see this as a great opportunity for the Project Board to fully consult with the wider London Road Estate community to get the right outcome and to deliver a scheme that is based on evidence of need.
“The fact that a London Road Steering Group (Project Board) has now been established should be seen as a great opportunity to bring the Newbury community together and to jointly work on providing options that will genuinely engage all parties to deliver a solution that can be welcomed and supported by all.”