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Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has mentioned he regrets sitting subsequent to Tory donor Richard Desmond at a fundraiser and sending him textual content messages.
Mr Jenrick has been below hearth over his contacts with the tycoon, who donated cash to the celebration after a brand new housing improvement was given the go-ahead.
The minister mentioned he was proper to again the 1,500 residence scheme on the former Westferry print works in East London.
However he instructed the BBC there have been “classes to be learnt” from the episode.
Mr Desmond made a private donation of £12,000 to the Conservative Social gathering 12 days after the minister overruled authorities planning inspectors to approve the event.
Mr Jenrick, who has introduced a serious overhaul of the planning system in England, aimed toward eradicating obstacles to new improvement, has at all times insisted he had no data of the donation and had been motivated by a want to see extra houses constructed.
‘Money for favours’
In January, Mr Jenrick overruled objections from officers, and pushed by approval for the Westferry mission at some point earlier than neighborhood costs positioned on developments to pay for native providers – the Group Infrastructure Levy – have been elevated.
The timing allowed Mr Desmond to keep away from paying £40m – however the choice was later challenged in court docket, and the minister conceded the timing of his choice was “illegal by motive of obvious bias”. The case is now being dealt with by one other minister.
Paperwork on the case have been launched in June after Labour claimed Mr Jenrick’s approval of the housing improvement raised solutions of “money for favours”.
It emerged that Mr Jenrick had sat subsequent to Mr Desmond at a Tory fundraising dinner in November, and the previous Each day Specific proprietor had proven the minister a video of his plans for Westferry. The pair later exchanged textual content messages in regards to the planning utility.
Downing Road has mentioned prime minister Boris Johnson considers the matter “closed”.
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The deliberate improvement is in London’s Docklands space
Requested on BBC Radio 4’s Right now programme, what he had realized from the Westferry case, he mentioned: “I’ve set out the occasions round that call and there are positively classes to be learnt.
“I want I hadn’t been sat subsequent to a developer at an occasion and I remorse sharing textual content messages with him afterwards.
“However I do not remorse the choice, as a result of I believe it was proper to get housing constructed on a brownfield website on part of London that desperately wants it.
“The system that I’ve helped to design that’s set out within the proposals we’re publishing immediately will really transfer us ahead considerably on among the challenges that that case rose.”
‘Builders pay extra’
He added, “I do not suppose this does give extra energy to builders, it creates a way more sure system. It’ll, for instance, repair the problem of developer contributions as soon as and for all.”
Below the proposed new planning regime, the Group Infrastructure Levy will likely be changed by a brand new nationwide levy to fund initiatives resembling colleges and roads.
Requested how a lot cash the Conservatives have obtained from property builders since Boris Jonson grew to become prime minister, Mr Jenrick mentioned: “Effectively I’ve no thought as a result of ministers are usually not concerned in these points, that’s fully for the Conservative Social gathering.”
The housing secretary added: “You are fully mischaracterising what we’re doing right here. We’re really asking builders to pay extra.”
He mentioned the brand new planning proposals would “abolish the present system which favours the massive builders”.