The Duke's company, Grosvenor Estates, and fund managerHenderson had made it clear that the viability of their schemewould be undermined if a rival scheme proposed by local developerWalton Group at Chavasse Park was allowed to go ahead.

Now Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has rejected Walton'splans for Chavasse Park.

The decision increases the likelihood of Duke pressing aheadwith plans to invest £900 million ($1.4 billion) creating 2.5million sq ft of retail, leisure and residential along the existingstreetscape. The scheme would be centred on Paradise Street, aroundthe corner from where The Beatles started their career, butstretches across 400 ha. It involves over 20 design teams workingon different parts of the redevelopment, some of which will involvenew build and some will involve refurbishment and conversion ofexisting buildings.