A BITTER 10-year battle between the Emerson family's private property empire and Rochdale council has ended.

Deanbank Investments, part of the Alderley Edge-based property business controlled by the Jones family, has sold its 25-ha slice of the controversial Kingsway business park to the North West Development Agency.

The deal, which is valued at close to £4m, means that the agency will no longer have to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire the site.

It has been earmarked as part of a new £300m business park - but plans could not go ahead until the Deanbank land had been acquired.

The M. E. N. Rich List places company chairman and founder Peter Emerson Jones as the third wealthiest in the region with a fortune estimated at £650m. The Emerson Group is now one of the UK's largest private property companies.

The backdown comes three months after Emerson lost the latest round in its 10-year battle with Rochdale council over the future of Kingsway.

A planning inspector rejected proposals by Emerson-controlled Deanbank Investments.

Rival plans

This strengthened the hands of rival plans by the North West Development Agency.

Deanbank was thought to have been considering a High Court challenge to the inspector's rulling - but decided to sell the site instead.

NWDA's project manager Rob Green said: "North West Development Agency can confirm that Deanbank Investments Limited and Emerson Commercial Developments Limited have both agreed, in the best interests of facilitating the future development of the overall Kingsway Business Park, to sell their land to the North West Development Agency.

"They have now formally withdrawn their objections prior to prosecuting their case at the compulsory purchase public inquiry which is currently ongoing.

"As a result of this agreement with Deanbank/Emerson, the North West Development Agency and the Kingsway Partnership now own and control more than 70 per cent of the site."

The long-running row started soon after Deanbank bought the land in 1993.

Emerson had hoped to be chosen as preferred developer for the entire scheme by Rochdale council. But the council appointed Midlands-based developers Wilson Bowden instead.

Own proposals

Since then Deanbank has failed to negotiate a stake in the larger scheme and has pursued its own proposals.

Wilson Bowden already has planning permission for 336,000 sq m of mostly industrial buildings, including one mega-warehouse of 86,000 sq m.

Property experts have welcomed the Kingsway development.

Bob Parker, partner with surveyors Matthews & Goodman, said: "Rochdale Kingsway has taken a long time to come forward, partially due to the huge infrastructure costs, and partially due to the some disagreement between the various landowners.

"I believe there is very definitely room for a large distribution park such as this, due primarily to its location on the M62, allowing fast access to Yorkshire the north east, the M60, and the M61.

"The most immediate competition would have been the Heywood Distribution Park, but to all intents and purposes, this has now been developed, and could not cope with another major requirement."

Simon Hampson, industrial director, at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: "Rochdale has really suffered from the lack of a strategically important site to focus new development.

"Once Kingsway becomes an established location, I believe the large footloose enquiries interested in being located along the M60 northern corridor will be inevitably drawn to it, attracted by the location and infrastructure."

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