Derwent ups ante ahead of Old Trafford court battle

DERWENT Holdings, the property company opposing the redevelopment of Lancashire County Cricket Club and the associated Tesco store, has said that most of the income from its alternative scheme at White City will end up in charitable hands.

The firm made the statement ahead of the Judicial Review hearing set to be heard at the High Court in Manchester next week challenging Trafford Council’s decision to approve a £70m scheme led by Ask Developments involving the redevelopment of Lancashire County Cricket Club’s Old Trafford cricket ground and an accompanying Tesco store.

Last month, Lancashire County Cricket Club’s chief executive Jim Cumbes accused Gubay of standing in the way of the club’s progress to serve its own commercial ends. Derwent had applied to build a Sainsbury’s store at its nearby White City development but its application had been refused.

Derwent Holdings’ chairman Trevor Wilson said that the bulk of the proceeds from White City and Derwent’s other assets would end up in charitable hands.

“Mischievous insinuations have been made about Derwent, its ownership and its motivations,” said Wilson.

“These are wholly incorrect and deliberately misleading. Derwent is owned by trustees who are required on the demise of Albert Gubay to pass it and all its associated companies to the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation.

“A minimum of £20 million will be distributed every year to charity, with the revenue from White City and other assets benefitting good causes for decades to come,” he said.

“Mr Gubay is particularly keen for the North West of England to benefit from the Foundation’s funds, with sport high on the list of priorities.”

Wilson also challenged the notion that in seeking a judicial review Derwent was merely employing delaying tactics to stifle the Tesco-led scheme.

“We are challenging Trafford Council because their decision-making was fundamentally flawed.

“In 2006, Trafford Council understandably prevented Tesco building an 85,000 sq ft store on Stretford High School’s playing fields. However, last year they granted planning consent for a store of twice the size.

“This does not make any sense and Tesco should not be allowed to ride roughshod over planning law to the detriment of local playing areas.”

He said that if Ask’s scheme were approved, surrounding town centres would be affected and jobs would be lost.

However, Cumbes said that all of the points being raised by Derwent had already been “exhaustively” dealt with during the planning process.

“The club looks forward to these being resolved once and for all in the High Court,” he said. 
 
Ask Developments’ Alan Burke added: “Mr Gubay’s vast wealth has ensured that every possible legal measure has been taken by Derwent Holdings to bring this matter to court, but Lancashire County Cricket Club and its partners are confident that our case is robust and will carry the day.
 
“Let us be clear – Derwent are challenging the approved LCCC/Tesco planning consent, endorsed by the Secretary of State and supported by the region’s economic development agencies, for the simple reason that their own foodstore application at nearby White City was unsuccessful.
 
He said that the land mentioned by Derwent had not been used as school fields for years.

“To suggest otherwise is yet another example of Derwent’s increasingly desperate attempts to derail a major sports-led regeneration project.  
 
The hearing is set to start next Monday and will last for two weeks.

Last month, Gubay received a Papal Knighthood – the highest honour that can be bestowed on a Roman Catholic lay person – for his work in promoting charitable causes and the church.

The Rhyl-born businessman has amassed a personal fortune of around £1bn – the bulk of which has already been earmarked for charitable causes.