Future of Silver Hill scheme in the spotlight
The future of the £165m Silver Hill redevelopment scheme will be in the spotlight when Winchester City Council’s Cabinet meets on Wednesday (13 January).
Cllr Stephen Godfrey, the Leader of the Council, said:
As a Cabinet and Council our priority remains to achieve the best possible scheme to regenerate the run-down Silver Hill area of Winchester.
It is easy to forget with the twists and turns of the legal process that the fundamental reason for doing this is to support the local economy – one of our key aims.
Cabinet will discuss proposals put forward by developer TH Real Estate/Silverhill Winchester No.1 Ltd in a letter sent to Cllr Godfrey on 22 December 2015.
They ask that the Council considers delaying a decision on the development agreement for at least nine months after their court appeal has been determined.
Cllr Godfrey added:
The Council faces two key deadlines: 9 February 2016, by which time so-called ‘pre-commencement’ planning conditions must be met, and 20 March 2016, when the compulsory purchase order which enables the Council to buy the necessary land expires if it is not implemented. Cabinet will consider officer advice on the options available to the Council and external legal advice.
The Council remains committed to the regeneration of Silver Hill and has done everything possible to support the developer to achieve this. However, in the current circumstances, Cabinet will need to give serious consideration to terminating the development agreement because conditions remain to be satisfied. At the same time, Cabinet will need to consider the risk of further legal challenges from all sides.
A special meeting of the full Council on 28 January 2016 will include discussion of the Silver Hill scheme.