A PROPERTY company yesterday
denied pitching for a rival's
business during the early stages
of a £500m redevelopment project.
Lawyers for Chilli Developments
say Quintain Estates and
Development Plc were encouraged
to put in a bid for land at
Middlehaven, in Middlesbrough,
which had already been assigned
to Chilli by the Commission for
New Towns - known as the English
Partnerships (EP) - and Tees
Valley Regeneration (TVR).
Chilli is suing TVR and EP for
about £10m and alleges it was unfairly
prevented from taking part
in the redevelopment.
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Barrister Philip Noble, for
Chilli, said TVR and EP breached
two lock-out deals signed with
Chilli, spoke to a major bank behind
its back, and "undermined,
insulted and ridiculed" the company
in the presence of potential
investor The Esh Group, at a
meeting on June 30, 2005.
Yesterday, as the case entered
its second week at London's High
Court, Peter Halsall, managing
director of Bioregional Quintain
- a joint venture between Quintain
and Bioregional Properties
Ltd - testified about a development
proposal submitted by
Quintain in 2005.
In it, Quintain included the potential
development of land assigned
to Chilli.
But Mr Halsall insisted there
was nothing sinister about the inclusion
of that land, and said all
Quintain was trying to do was
"show creative ability and skill"
in its potential role as the developer
of the site.
Mr Noble repeatedly put it to
Mr Halsall that Quintain was
"pitching" for Chilli's land.
But Mr Halsall said: "The
Chilli land was not available to
us, that was made very clear by
TVR and EP."
Barrister Tom Leech, for EP
and TVR, has denied all Chilli's
accusations, and described the
company's case as "thin" with
"next to no evidence" to support
it. The case continues.
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