WINCHESTER civic chiefs heard doubts about the trustworthiness of its development partner in the £165 million Silver Hill scheme.

Cllr Martin Tod, Lib Dem, said he was worried that TIAA Henderson Real Estate had “flipped flopped” over crucial aspects of the proposal to redevelop a chunk of the city centre for shops and flats.

Plans for affordable flats and a bus station was said by Henderson to be viable in 2009 but then unviable in 2014 before becoming an option again following the recent High Court defeat.

Cllr Tod said last night at the overview and scrutiny committee: “If someone comes to us at the compulsory purchase review and says this scheme is viable, then in 2014 swears blind it is not viable and then comes back in 2015 and says actually it is viable” it raises questions of trustworthiness and “whether we are able to do business with these people.”

The committee also heard from the Tory councillor who challenged his own council and persuaded the High Court to rule that aspects of the procurement of the 2004 development agreement and 2014 scheme were unlawful.

Cllr Gottlieb criticised a council report that said the council should do nothing at the moment other than ‘note’ the situation until Claer Lloyd-Jones completes her report into the council’s handling of Silver Hill.

He told the committee: “The only viable action for the council to take, which O&S must impress upon Cabinet, is that the council should use all commercial and legal means to end the exclusive relationship with Henderson, so that the council can deal with the whole open market.

“If O&S or Cabinet can’t bring itself to do this, they should at the very least freeze the whole situation until after the (independent) review is complete.”

Other councillors expressed doubts about Henderson’s intentions.

Conservative councillor Robert Sanders said he feared the firm was preparing to “do some manoeuvre on us.”

Henderson is currently seeking to appeal the High Court defeat and is also looking at reactivating the 2009 plan which has planning permission. The future of the Brooks shopping centre could come into the equation with Henderson not ruling out seeking to buy it after its owners went into administration.

Council chief executive Simon Eden said: “It is very complicated and we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Meanwhile Tory councillor Linda Gemmell raised fears about the lack of action. She said that by not meeting the retail demand in its local plan “we are exposing ourselves to developers coming in with plans for outside the centre of the city. I don’t want a West Quay at Bar End. That is what could happen if we don’t do something.”