Derwent legal bid threatens Old Trafford redevelopment
PROPERTY developer Derwent Holdings has been slammed by Lancashire County Cricket Club for seeking to wreck a landmark £70m redevelopment of the ground.
The Isle of Man based firm, which owns the nearby White City Retail Park, is seeking judicial review of the decision to approve the Old Trafford scheme by Trafford Council.
The move, which could lose the partnership a vital £5m public grant, is the latest twist in a long-running and bitter dispute between the parties.
Lancashire CCC’s partner Ask Developments branded Derwent’s move as ‘nonsensical’ and ‘desperate’.
Derwent Holdings, owned by Kwik Save founder Albert Gubay, has not yet commented on its latest move. The cricket club and Ask say they will press ahead with ground redevelopment work, depite the legal action.
Executive director Alan Burke said: “The claims made by Derwent Holdings are nonsensical. They have tried every available means to kill our plans and this is a desperate last gasp tactic.
“We find their significant delay in seeking a Judicial Review telling, revealing their true intent to de-rail our proposals rather than pursue a genuine grievance. They are notorious for having a track record for this type of aggressive legal action.”
Mr Burke claimed the timing of Derwent’s move was deliberately timed to cause maximum disruption.
“Despite setting out their intention to seek a Judicial Review in March of this year. They have waited until the Christmas holiday period to do so. This is clearly a strategy designed to blow our plans out of the water.”
He continued: “Derwent know we are facing a demanding timetable for delivery – their tactics are designed to have the maximum possible disruption to our programme and delivery of our funding package. They hope we will fail so they can progress their own commercial agenda.
“We have a funding commitment towards our project of over £5m approved by the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The terms of that agreement dictate that we must be clear of any potential Judicial Review action by April 2011 or risk losing that money.
“Such an outcome would be a disaster for the Club, Trafford borough and the North West. The only factor putting this funding at risk is Derwent’s ongoing action. The very extensive delays we are incurring due to the very late nature of Derwent’s challenge is not only extremely frustrating but fundamentally jeopardising our ability to call down this vital funding.”
Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes added “A key part of our plans are guaranteed local jobs for the unemployed, links to local schools and major community benefits. But Derwent seem to care not a jot about international cricket, the image of Trafford, or the prospects for local kids and the unemployed.
“LCCC has been in Old Trafford for 150 years and is seeking to secure a future for international cricket for the next century. This action is about securing commercial gain at the expense of the LCCC’s sporting legacy for schools, community groups and young people in the North West.”
Cricket’s governing body, The England and Wales Cricket Board has said that without substantial redevelopment, after this year’s Test Match against Bangladesh, there would be no more Test match cricket at Old Trafford, putting the future of international cricket in general at the historic venue in jeopardy.
