THE Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust has revealed protracted legal and planning battles over its controversial Derwenthorpe development cost it at least £2 million.

And the man in charge of the project to build a 540-home model village on York’s eastern outskirts, trust development director Nigel Ingram has admitted: “There were times when I was the only person who thought Derwenthorpe was going to happen.”

He spoke of the trust’s frustrations as it had to overcome hurdle after hurdle, but said it “knew” it needed to carry on the fight. He said: “We knew we were doing the right thing for the people who were in housing need.”

His comments on the Derwenthorpe saga, which come as construction of the first phase of the scheme is well under way, were reported in a feature about the project in the latest issue of national publication Inside Housing.

Local residents, furious at the loss of green open space and extra traffic on local roads, forced two public inquiries and there was also a European Commission investigation into procurement issues.

The trust said the delays added at least £2 million to its costs, which would ordinarily be about £3 million with such projects.

The first inquiry looked into the planning application, while the second investigated an application to register the site as a village green.

After both inquires found in the trust’s favour, the European Commission launched an investigation into the sale of the land to the trust by the council.

Mr Ingram said an interim contract which he had just awarded to Strata Construction to build phase one had to be cancelled, as the project was put on hold.

“That was the lowest point for me,’ he said.

He said a “few more houses” could have been financed had it not been for the overall costs of the delays. Asked if the trust would do it again, Mr Ingram said it would, because it knew the needs of the area. “But I don’t think a commercial developer would.”