A request to reconsider the approval of a planning application by Peel Waters at Chatham Docks has been refused by Angela Rayner.

Sky News reports that a letter has been sent by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to Medway Council saying it will not act on requests for a call on the decision made by the authority’s planning committee.

In May the council’s planning committee voted to approve the plans which would allow a business campus called Basin3 to be built on the Chatham Docks industrial estate.

The proposals, which were submitted in January, were controversial as they would see the demolition of the existing warehouses in favor of various sized workspaces and the creation of a waterfront walkway and cycleway.

Businesses currently on the site say they would effectively be forced to leave – but Peel Waters says the new development would triple the number of jobs.

It also says the application being considered for that part of the Chatham Docks site was just an area for employment which was still being used for employment, not being changed for housing.

But opponents from the Save Chatham Docks campaign say it is the first step in turning a large part of the dock into housing.

After the application was granted approval on 30 May, MP for Rochester and Strood Kelly Tolhurst (Con) then wrote to Michael Gove, who was the Equalities, Housing and Communities Secretary, asking him to intervene.

She asked that he consider bringing in the decision from Medway Council, and this meant an Article 31 direction was applied, halting development of the plans, while Mr Gove considered them.

Another delay was added when Rishi Sunak called an election and no decision could be made until after 4 July.

After Labour’s win, the verdict fell into the hands of Angela Rayner and MHCLG.

Sky News reports that Rushanara Ali, the parliamentary under-secretary, wrote on behalf of Rayner, saying she did not want to call the decision and was “content to let it be decided by the local planning authority”.

Tolhurst called the decision “disappointing” and said she was surprised the application had not been recalled.

She also criticized Labour, in Medway and nationally, saying they were going against previous promises they had made.

She said: “I am very disappointed and local people and people who work at the port will continue to fight because there is no economic reason to allow this.

“I was very surprised that she has made this decision because so many people’s lives, their jobs, depend on Chatham Docks and I thought a decision like this needs more consideration.

“I think people will be very upset because this goes against the rhetoric we’ve had from Labor about growing the economy and investing in the UK – a big part of Medway’s economy is the businesses at Chatham Docks.

“We don’t build infrastructure like this anymore, so it’s absolutely crazy that this is being done.”

The current MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards (Lab), who defeated Tolhurst at the election, said she had supported the request to call for a call and she knew the decision would disappoint residents.

She said: “I supported the decision to ask the Secretary of State to review planning approval for Basin3 and petitioned to ensure all relevant factors were considered.

“I know some residents and workers will be disappointed that the Secretary of State has today decided not to call in the decision made by Medway Council’s planning committee.

“Since becoming a local MP I have met with Arcelor Mittal and the Save Chatham Docks group and will continue to work with them to find a long-term solution for their business which preserves as many highly skilled local jobs as possible.

“I will also be meeting with Peel Waters, the company behind Basin3, to ensure the site is a success and delivers the employment and growth potential outlined in the planning application.”

Peel Waters said the decision was good news, but would wait to issue a full statement until Medway Council had formally confirmed the planning decision – which is expected to happen early next week.

Ms Rayner’s decision not to seek the approval means the Article 31 directive has been lifted and Medway Council can continue with the approval process for the application which councilors voted in favor of in May.

Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, said: “The decision to approve the planning application to redevelop land at Chatham Docks Industrial Estate South Side was taken by the planning committee on 30 May.

“The application had already been delayed to take further legal advice, putting the committee outside the timeframe for making a decision.

“During this time, several interested parties have requested that the government “call in” this application.

“While the government considered whether or not to look at this, no action could be taken, despite the committee recommending that the application be approved.

“With the government’s decision today not to accept the application, we are confident that the steps taken by Medway Council’s planning department and quasi-judicial planning committee to determine whether or not this planning application complied with legal requirements were the correct ones.”