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Beleaguered Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has been drawn further into a planning row between Swale council and house builder Quinn Estates.
Mr Jenrick is under scrutiny for his handling of the £1 billion Westferry development in London’s Tower Hamlets.
He was accused of steamrollering it through in January by backing the planning application, against the advice of the planning inspectorate. His approval came a day before a community levy was introduced, which would have cost the developer an extra £45 million.
It later emerged Westferry’s backer, former Daily Express owner, Richard Desmond, donated thousands to Tory funds.
The Government has since quashed the decision after accepting Mr Jenrick had shown ‘apparent bias’ in approving it.
In Sittingbourne, Mark Quinn wants to build 675 homes around Borden at Wises Lane.
He is also a political donor, giving £101,190 to the Conservatives since 2016 and £12,000 to Labour.
Paul Aspin, whose wife Gaynor is co-organiser of the Borden Residents Against Development (Brad) action group with Nicola Butlin, has written to Mr Jenrick. He has asked for all details of Mr Quinn’s donations to the Conservatives over the past five years and for information about any meetings Mr Quinn has had with Mr Jenrick or his predecessors. Quinn Estates said it has not approached Mr Jenrick about Wises Lane.
Gaynor Aspin has also written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying residents had lost faith in his housing minister.
Quinn Estates applied to build homes, a primary school, rugby club and shops on farm land in 2017. Despite significant local opposition, the then Conservative-controlled Swale council supported the proposal.
In January 2019, the council’s planning committee said the developer must provide a ‘Section 106 agreement’ detailing how much it would spend on infrastructure in the area. In May, the council was replaced with a non-Tory coalition and the following month the new administration rejected the agreement.
Because the council missed the original deadline to hear the application, Quinn Estates had already appealed to the Planning Inspectorate for a decision.
“Wises Lane has been subject to the usual rigorous planning process.”
Under planning law, developments that meet certain criteria can be taken over by the Secretary of State.
In August a letter sent on Mr Jenrick’s behalf indicated he should determine the application himself, and a planning inquiry was held at the end of last year to gather evidence.
A decision was expected by May 18 but was deferred without explanation and is still awaited.
A Quinn Estates spokesman said: “Wises Lane has been subject to the usual rigorous planning process.”
They added the appeal was entirely appropriate to deliver much-needed local housing and the decision was taken to use a more streamlined method of appeal to fasten the pace of decision making, because the company did not want the site called in, which has added to the delay.
“The decision to recover this appeal was made by officials at MCHLG under delegated powers with no ministerial involvement and we still await that decision. Quinn Estates has not approached Robert Jenrick in relation to calling in Wises Lane,” the spokesman added.
“Quinn Estates has made donations to political parties over the years and will continue to do so, where appropriate, in support of the democratic process.
“We are open about anything we donate, as are political parties, in compliance with all guidance from the Electoral Commission.”
The spokesman said: “We have a site that could be providing homes, including a policy-compliant level of affordable housing and which will benefit the community.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The decision to recover this appeal was made by officials under delegated powers with no ministerial involvement. A decision on the application will be made in due course.”
