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| NEWS | BY JANE WRIGHT |
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Residents have opposed the hostel as overcrowded and fear additional pressure on already stretched local doctors’ lists and schools. Mr James’s neighbour, Allison Dias, a solicitor with top city firm Davies Arnold Cooper, which is acting for the residents, claimed a letter the firm had received from Town Hall solicitor Richard Gruet was “incredibly misleading”. Ms Dias had been working towards applying for a High Court judicial review by tomorrow (Friday). But Mr Gruet’s letter, sent by fax at 2.41 pm on Monday afternoon, stated this approval had only been given “in principle”. It continued: “We trust you accept that any challenge by a judicial review would be pointless bearing in mind that a final decision has yet to be made by (Camden’s) executive.” Yet, just 27 hours later, in a second fax dispatched at 5.35 pm on Tuesday, Mr Gruet confirmed the executive would be considering the matter again the very next day, without warning and without the item appearing on the agenda of the meeting published last week. The letter said: “The matter will be the subject of a further report to the executive on Wednesday 25 February and will be considered as an urgent item. Accordingly, it is our view that any application for judicial review is premature.” The report was sent round to individual councillors by courier on Tuesday night. It was also included without warning under “any other urgent business” at a meeting of Town Hall watchdog the overview and scrutiny commission on Tuesday. The report recommended that the purchase could go ahead on condition that planning consent wasn’t required. It also added that an agreement had been “formally concluded” between council officials and the owner of the hostel on February 13. At this meeting, scrutiny commission chairwoman Cllr Janet Guthrie ruled the executive committee’s decision on the hostel the following day would not be open to challenge, because its earlier “in principle” decision had already been reviewed and endorsed by the commission after it was challenged by opposition councillors less than six months ago. Cllr Hedges told the executive meeting the final decision had been sudden, because: “The negotiations with the hostel landlord have been in the balance until the last few days. However, both sides are now agreed that we can go ahead as soon as possible.” But Mr James accused the council of “trickery and deception. They’re perverting the system and the chief executive should be asked to explain”. Ms Dias added: “We’re appalled and we are going to carry on with the judicial review. It’s terrible for the council to treat residents like this.” She added thousands of pounds had already poured into a fighting fund to finance the residents’ legal challenge. Cllr Piers Wauchope, Tory opposition leader and councillor for Belsize, said after last night’s meeting: “I’m very disappointed. The first time the council approved this they acted in secrecy, hoping no-one would notice, The second time they’ve taken care the decision can’t be discussed. And their consultation is a joke. Everyone they’ve asked has said no, so they’ve acted to make sure their decision can’t be challenged.” But Cllr Hedges told last night’s meeting: “We will be able to bring the first phase of moving in families in March. The hostel will help Camden meet its homelessness strategy.” |
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