Legal fight looms over building site

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is facing a legal challenge over historic buildings in Smithfield.

Developers want to force her to decide whether to list three redundant former market buildings.

Thornfield Properties say plans to demolish the buildings and replace them with office towers have been in limbo for too long.

Their legal case is that Ms Jowell has failed to make a listing decision for the past six months.

But conservation bodies have been campaigning for the buildings to be saved and incorporated into a more sensitive scheme.