Winchester Silver Hill: No appeal against High Court ruling

The planned Silver Hill development has been criticised by campaigners

Winchester City Council has said it will not appeal against a High Court judgement that found it made "unlawful" decisions over a £165m development.

The leader of the authority Robert Humby quit last month over the ruling on the Silver Hill scheme.

A judge said the council acted unlawfully by allowing the developer to revise plans without putting the scheme back out to commercial tender.

The council's cabinet will meet on 18 March to consider its options.

Historical character

At a meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet agreed it would not execute legal documents relating to the revised plans and acknowledged the revised scheme could not go ahead without a competitive process.

Following the High Court judgement, Mr Humby's replacement, Frank Pearson, said he would establish an independent review of Silver Hill.

Campaigners brought the legal action, claiming the development would destroy the historical character of the city centre.

The Conservatives are the largest single party on the council and form the administration, although no party has overall control.

Councillor Robert Humby told the BBC in February he would not stand down over the matter