Council Ends Controversial Agreement

Winchester Council has voted to terminate a development agreement that was called in by the previous secretary of state and led to the resignation of the council leader last year. The controversial 287-home Silver Hill development was frozen by Eric Pickles last year after the council agreed to allow the developer, TH Real Estate, to drop a 40% affordable housing commitment down to zero without running a new procurement exercise. The scheme was subject to a judicial review launched by a local campaign group. The Conservative council leader resigned in February last year following the High Court judgment that found the council had acted unlawfully. TH Real Estate is appealing the judgment and had requested the council delay terminating the agreement until at least nine months after its appeal proceedings had finished. Read more on the Winchester City Council website.