Clouds loom over Old Trafford’s status as Test match ground
The chances of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lancashire-c806’s home ground, Old Trafford to host a Test match have once again been plunged into doubt after their rival company, Derwent Holdings earned the right to file a petition with the Court of Appeal against High
Court’s ruling.
Derwent has long been trying to block the development plans for the area around Old Trafford. But the battle appeared to reach an end earlier in March this year after the High Court gave its verdict in favor of the county and refused
the company leave to appeal. However, Derwent’s billionaire owner, Albert Gubay had claimed at that time that they would seek to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
Whilst Gubay is planning for a rival food at White City, a leading supermarket chain in UK, Tesco are backing the plans of Lancashire as they are constructing a store costing £21million near the White City.
The Lancashire chief executive, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Cumbes-c65572 told the media reporters that Derwent’s plan of food store has been rejected by the planning authorities, however he said such moves of Gubay are creating huge uncertainty for the county.
"Mr Gubay's own plans for a rival food store at White City have been rejected by the planning authorities," said Jim Cumbes while talking to the media reporters on Wednesday.
"His latest challenge seems a pointless exercise, but it is creating huge uncertainty for us due to its financial implications," he added further.
No date for hearing has yet been given by the Court of Appeal but this delay in hearings is a major hindrance in redevelopment of Old Trafford. The county wants the overhaul of the venue to be done in time for the next Ashes series
between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 scheduled to be hosted by the former in 2013.
Cumbes said that this delay in hearings is frustrating for them and urged the Court of Appeal to hear the case quickly so they could fight it off and get on with the full development of the home ground after years of meticulous work.
"We firmly believe we will ultimately get the go-ahead for our plans,” said a confident Cumbes. “We consider Mr Gubay's strategy is to hold us up indefinitely until we run out of time and we ultimately fail. But, inspired by massive
support from the North-west public, we are determined this will not happen," he added.
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