MANCHESTER CPO CONFIRMED

On 6 February 2009 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government confirmed the City of Manchester (Miles Platting Neighbourhood) Compulsory Purchase Order 2007, a regeneration CPO under s.226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended. The Order Lands consisted of seven separate areas, together covering 19.8 hectares, lying 3 kilometres north east of Manchester City Centre. There were 26 outstanding statutory objections.

One matter of relevance to other inquiries was the approach taken by the Inspector and Secretary of State to criterion (iii) ["potential financial viability of the scheme"] in para 16 of Appendix A to Circular No.06/2004. This was a PFI scheme, the intention being that the development and sale of new homes would cross-subsidise capital investment in the refurbishment of existing Council stock and the public realm. The Inspector reported that, given "the current economic difficulties in the housing market ... there is a danger that not enough homes would be sold to generate sufficient value to drive the Scheme". Nevertheless both he and the Secretary of State concluded that "the long term nature of the Scheme still makes it potentially viable".

The CPO was promoted by Manchester City Council, for whom Charles George QC appeared at the public inquiry in July 2008.