Housebuilder receives £2.5m writ following row over planning permission to convert former TV studios

ITV Meridian is headed for a High Court showdown with housebuilder Oakdene Homes in a £2.5m row over planning permission.

Oakdene bought the television company’s studios in Southampton for £8.5m in July 2007 and should have sought planning consent to develop the seven acre site, according to a High Court writ.

ITV says that because Oakdene has not applied to develop the site, it has lost out on an extra payment of £2.5m due when permission is granted.

It says the developer breached the agreement by failing to give ITV a draft of its initial planning application, or to apply for consent to the local authority by January, and has still not sought consent.

Now ITV is seeking an injunction requiring Oakdene to submit plans to develop the site, with any amendments chosen by ITV Meridian, and is claiming damages for breach of the agreement.

Oakdene has reportedly said that it expected to put in its application next month to build 550 homes, including two 18-storey blocks of flats. It has said the application has been complicated by the need for a 12-month assessment of the impact of the site on bird migration patterns.

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