Hearing on Lancashire's Old Trafford renovation set for end of February

Lancashire have welcomed the news that the judicial review of their Tesco-funded redevelopment of Old Trafford will be heard in Manchester at the end of next month, and stressed that "this will be a make-or-break decision" for the club. Derwent Holdings, the Bermuda-based owners of the nearby White City shopping park who have been opposing Lancashire's plans throughout the planning process, applied for the review last month. That threatened more than £5m of funding that has been promised by the North West Development Agency, which is contingent on any such challenges being cleared by April, when the redevelopment must begin to give Lancashire any chance of staging a Test in the next Ashes series in 2013. Confirmation that the review has been set for 28 February and 1 March is a crucial step in the right direction for the club. Lancashire have accused Derwent of "cynicism" and say that any further delays would be "a disaster for the club, Trafford borough and the north west". "We needed to have that hearing soon, it's critical for us," said Lancashire's chief executive, Jim Cumbes. "This will be a make or break decision for the club. The stakes could not be higher. The club has spent £1.5m on costs associated with planning and advisers. There has also been a £2m reduction in grants as a result of not being able to start the development programme as planned ." Derwent, one of several companies built up by Albert Gubay, the multi-millionaire who founded KwikSave, have yet to comment.