A freedom of information request to Historic England - the public body that looks after England's historic environment- has cast further doubt on how the Woolsington applications have been handled and whether there’s a need for the controversial enabling development that could see the destruction of one of Newcastle's largest areas of mature woodland, home to one of the last urban colonies of red squirrels. The information reveals the reluctance of the applicant - Cameron Hall - to market the property, despite Historic England’s guidance that real efforts must be made to find an alternative use for the property before enabling development can be considered. Historic England's own adviser acknowledges the ‘Catch-22’ position in establishing a need for the 72 luxury homes without sight of the applicant’s financial information and that the contentious nature of the enabling development could result in a public inquiry which would see the marketing of the property questioned. Could this be a prediction of events to come? The need for a public inquiry is now greater than ever.