Liverpool Planning, Its a Pantomime-Nigel Lee-He's Behind You.

There he is the "Dick.......Dastardly" Nigel Lee the Chief Planning Disaster of Liverpools misfortune and his sidekick John “Mutley” Bimbo…snassinfrassin away selling us down the river at planning committee meetings. This time of the year while everyone else is down at the Playhouse watching the actors in The 39 Steps, make merriment, or shopping for woolly jumpers in the new Grosvenor-pool The Riechmarshal Lee and his army of elves grind away with some of the most important planning applications while no-one is interested. He really is behind you. In fact too close for comfort. In my opinion he is shafting you. You see he knows that nobody will be paying attention at this time of the year. As do the people running the city the Fib-Dems and so they decide to put plans to sell the library to a private firm on view. Planning app 09L/2618 & 09F/2617 Combine the Xmas rush with the biggest snowfall of the year unveiling a national disaster people having to abandon cars all over the country and alter travel plans and there you have it perfect timing. Send in the Clowns. There has to be clowns. This convenient council way of dealing with planning applications is like falling off a yuletide log for Nigel Lee the Captain Hook look-alike. He is behind you, really close and he is stabbing you in the back.

Planning application 09F/2612 no 7 Princess Parade in the WHS on behalf of Lead Asset Strategies (Liverpool) Ltd, drops through the door on Xmas Eve….he is behind you.

We have just had an application 09L/2457 to replace the doors on Herbert Rowses Ventilation Shaft. Dame Henry Owen John says on behalf of the English Heritcs. “Its nothing to do with us”, while the 20th Century Society go mad with bemusement.

He is behind you and there is hardly any one that I would wish their Xmas Turkey gets stuck in their throats, but I will make an exception in this case…………….Beware he is behind you.

What Have Peel Holdings Ever Done For Liverpool?

Still waffling today is David "Stinky Ink" Bartlett about how showing he is not understanding the full situation with relation to the politics surrounding Liverpools Cruise Liner Cock-Up.

The full truth of the matter which Bartlett should be concentrating on is Peel are pulling the strings they want to build their own Cruise Liner Facility. So packaged up by Bartlett today is the first hint of the true story. I advised senior shipping writers in the Daily Ghost to these facts over 6 months ago. Is this selling papers? well if you look at the sales figures for the Daily Ghost you will note that it apears that the public are so fed up with Trinity "Smoking" Mirror making it up as they go along, http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/10/cruise-wars-scouse-wedding-on-sea.html or unable or unwilling to grasp hold of the truth. Lethargic in their approach, scared to upset the people who pay for advertising or place advertorials for them to package into a lazy days work. Peter Elson should have been consulted over this, or allowed to spell out the truth of which he is aware. Larry Neild was there years ago telling us all how wonderful it is we have got a new dawn with ships coming back up the Mersey. Unable or unwilling to work out the truth Larry Bartlett now follows in the Oldham Echo tradition. It apears I am not alone in my condensed thoughts.  http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/12/oldham-echo-fight-arranger-licence.html or http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/12/recriminations-but-no-regrets.html
So now we are informed that Peel will help us. Take a look at the picture above of the Cruise Liner Terminal at Langton Dock to see how they have been helping our visitors to the city...to a shed, to have their passports checked. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/council-cruise-liner-cock-up.html I spelt it out in July. So Bartlett now tells us http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news//2009/12/18/cruise-liner-terminal-plan-to-double-number-of-ships-at-liverpool-s-pier-head-100252-25419244/ Peel are going to help us by reducing the port costs. I am just laughing my head off while Peels director is laughing all the way to his Isle of Man tax exile branch to deposit another packet.
They filled in Princes Dock and built Milton Keynes-On-Sea http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/04/milton-keynes-on-sea.html that is the sort of stuff Peel do for us. While leaving the docks in a disgraceful state.

Liverpools Cruise Liner Cock Up-Its Official.

We have built a Cruise Liner Jetty at the Pier Head, Yes a Jetty. The councillers and its jokers who set up this half thought out idea up should be sacked. The City's future depended on us being back on centre stage. A new dawn they told us, a new tommorrow, and how we will welcome all the big ships back to Liverpool. Taking us back to our Maritime heyday. Only they overlooked the situation that you cant use European Money when your rivals don't have access to it. Did somebody not realise this errr...oversight, aparantly not.  http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4796998.Liverpool_s_rival_cruise_bid_blocked/

So a nasty and horrible bad attituded campaign http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/10/cruise-wars-scouse-wedding-on-sea.html was launched by the Daily Ghost and the Oldham Echo in support of bullying the powers that be into changing their mind advising the public how important it is to the city and what would happen without it.....only highlighting the magnitude of the Council Cock up.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news//tm_headline=government-rejects-liverpool-s-pier-head-cruise-liner-terminal-plans%26method=full%26objectid=25404306%26siteid=100252-name_page.html So we warned they were in deep water http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/09/cruise-wars-liverpool-is-in-deep-watere.html

The Oldham Echo even adopted the Southampton Echos campaign "Cruise Wars" such is the lack of originality in Oldham Hall Street http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/09/cruise-wars-liverpool-gets-full-naval.html and angry voices were heard from the public telling Larry Bartlett and knocking crew that we the public do not wish to be fronted by stinky ink.
Meanwhile it is announced that:
Liverpool chosen as host city for England's World Cup 2018 bid

Dec 16 2009
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news//tm_headline=liverpool-chosen-as-host-city-for-england-s-world-cup-2018-bid%26method=full%26objectid=25407754%26siteid=100252-name_page.html
LIVERPOOL has been chosen as a Host City for England’s 2018 World Cup Bid.
The announcement made today by England 2018 bid Chairman Lord Mawhinney, at Wembley, was hailed as equal to ‘a cup victory the whole city can enjoy’.
It is estimated that if England win the rights to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a Host City can expect to benefit from a £200m boost to its economy.

I Hope they remember to bring the ball for the match and dont blame the opposing team.

Mann Island-More Public Funds to Destroy World Heritage.

THE NWDA was told to pay a Liverpool car dealership £1m after a dispute over the sale of the Mann Island site on the city’s waterfront.

Valuation experts ruled between the agency and Robert Smith Group, which ran a Road Range car dealership selling Mercedes-Benzes and Porsches from Mann Island.
The NWDA bought the Robert Smith Group’s 4.25-acre site on the waterfront for £9.25m in 2001. This may have been before the boom years but it was still cheap.
The land was originally intended to be the home of the city’s pathetic "glass pie in the sky" The Fourth Grace, which was scrapped in 2004.
The site was then sold to Neptune Developments and Countryside, the preferred developer for the Fourth Grace, for less than it had initially paid after Neptune threatened to sue because of all the speculative work they had done....or so they said..
In 2005, the Agency agreed to deduct £1.5m from the purchase of the land, and paid another £1.4m.

Not http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/mann-island-funds-new-museum-its-fact.html only was the funding for the Three Black Slugs on Mann Island public it was played out right in front of our eyes. The gave the land away for nothing and now its worth hundreds of millions. There should be European laws against this use of objective one funding to build carbuncles on the WHS.
They also funded the new museum with the funds from the sale of this land to Neptune for a pittance. Neptune Directors admitted such in a Merseyside Civic Society presntation which was stitched up by the Chairman in order to smooth the plans through on Halloween. The misguided Brian "Mad Hatter" Hatton was friends of Neptune and offered support at the meeting at one time saying the Pump House should be knocked down. So now in front of them all WHS disaster unfolds. 
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/museum-of-liverpool-sad-rip-off-of.html

Steve Broomstick from the NWDA said recently "It is also a big success story for the city, with a high-quality residential and office development on site, and progressing at a time when many other projects across the UK are stalling, and the Agency is pleased to have played an important role in promoting the delivery of this important regeneration initiative.” This bloke really is a dimwit who has allowed a bunch of "cosy" developers to make a packet out of destroying world heritage with our money..public funds.
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/whats-time-liverpool-world-heritage.html
Well so they say http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/08/dylan-harvey-goes-bango.html

What the papers dont tell you is this http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/08/mann-island-dylan-harvey-director_18.html

Ptolemy Deans views or vanishing views http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/ptolemy-deans-view-on-liverpools.html
Trinity Smoking Mirrors views. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/06/mann-island-damage-has-been-well-and.html

World Heritage Stitch up its a disaster for all......Never have so many people been let down by so few.

Big Wheel Keep Turning.

I have to say this big wheel is great. It looks brilliant of a night in the high tensile shopping centre of Grosvenor-pool. I have not gone up yet for fear of seeing the destruction of the WHS. Manchester has one, Newcastle and every other city so Liverpool now follows. The Daily Ghost said Liverpool now has a London Eye...huh!.  http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/11/18/liverpool-gets-its-very-own-london-eye-92534-25193154/     I love it that much that I have at great expense had engineers in, and have laid some massive steel girders in my garden for my own big wheel. I have spoken to the company who erected Liverpools to have one installed no problem they said we will do it for free and the money taken is so vast you dont owe us a penny. It does not matter that it will overlook a thousand residential dwellings or hotels that is not important it is the bigger picture that we see. its all in the name of progress that big wheel keeps turning. And you know what you dont even need a planning application.......well Grosvenor didn't.

Spin the camera around and there you see more regeneration or, degeneration, more like. Here we have the WHS and the Three Black Slugs sliming thier way onto our skyline, now thats, not progress. Why would you destroy your best asset, Liverpools magestic views no more. Why destroy the front cover of almost every book about Liverpool. The worst and most damaging of the Three Slugs is now full slime ahead. Kevin McLoud called Liverpool One "The Rebranding of a City" when he opened up his talk at the Stirling Prize. Well what if we don't want to be rebranded this way what if we were alright as we were. If its not broke dont fix it, or in this case if its fixed..... break it. We will never live down the criminal act of destroying the WHS, showing cultural dimwitted-ness beyond compare. Just wait till we all, realise what they have done.

We argued that what Liverpool needed on Mann Island was something like a big wheel to make a visual impact, a park, something you could take down that would not be permanent.

SS Manxman-Lies Rusting Its A Disgraceful Sight.

After a fundraising campaign led by the Daily Ghost just what is happening to the future plans of bringing the SS Manxman to Liverpool.


http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=14236630&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=bring-her-back-to-mersey-plea-as-manxman-looks-doomed-name_page.html  

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/08/06/appeal-to-save-manxman-gets-off-to-a-flying-start-64375-19576032/
Bill Ogle the Chairman of the Manxman Steamship Company (the Trust) informed me on the 8th Feb 09. “Activities over the last 7 years, and from results of a total of 10 separate independent and professional surveys and exercises, the Trust has been able to address all of them and formulate a fully developed and costed Business Plan. This indicated that, providing the initial, purchase, restoration and relocation costs could be met then in her planned berth at Birkenhead Manxman would indeed provide a viable business capable of generating sufficient income to cover all running costs as well as a surplus for future maintenance.that the initial conditional offer of a berth by Mersey Docks and Harbour Company was subsequently withdrawn by Peel Holdings and, as recently as December 2008, their position is unchanged.
The Trust was forced to accept that the original plan could not be achieved”.

As of the 20th November 09 the situation is as such. Bill Ogle writes.
With regard to Manxman herself, there is no change. She remains in the covered dry dock at Sunderland. We presume her owners are waiting for an improvement in steel prices when they will need to remove the asbestos and dismantle her in situ.

The Trust now must be wound up, this is now completed for our trading company. Firstly we need to sell our 4ft long scale model of Manxman to fully realise our assets, and it is in the hands of Bonhams in London for inclusion in their auction early next year. Likewise the American organisation is not continuing their interest. So there is no good news I'm sorry to say; and the opportunity is now lost.

What is happening with the funds raised to save the SS Manxman. I presume they will be returned some people gave four figure sums?.
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-5267.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/articles/2008/01/14/shipbuilding_peter_callagham_feature.shtml
There was a meeting at India Buildings some time ago which brought out a few old seadogs such as Patrick Moran determined to save it.
Apparantly the owners of India Buildings had an interest in the Manxman.

Achilleas Kallakis was called the Mayfairs, Walter Mitty, by the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/01/uk-property-fraud-kallakis

In European high-stakes poker circles he goes by the name of "The Don", among Mayfair property magnates he calls himself Achilleas Kallakis, and when diplomatic affairs are the topic of the day he likes to be addressed as "His Excellency, ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to the Sultanate of Brunei".
But one name he doesn't use much these days is the one his parents gave him, Stefan Michalis Kollakis - with an 'o'. Perhaps that's because under this name he was convicted in 1995 of selling bogus British feudal titles to hapless Americans and Australians.
A further dig around Kollakis's past reveals a string of small-scale failed businesses which appear to have no assets. Among the ventures to sink into administration were the SS Manxman, a floating disco boat moored at West Waterloo Dock in Liverpool, and Electras, a nightclub in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Fourteen years ago he pleaded guilty to fraud at Southwark crown court, admitting selling "lordships" to Americans, Australians and Arabs for £85,000. Kollakis, who at the time worked for a travel company in Croydon, bought the titles from the Manorial Society of Great Britain, sub-divided them into districts and then offered them for sale via newspaper adverts. The scam claimed to be taking advantage an ancient process known as subinfudation - splitting and increasing the number of titles. But the practice had in fact been banned in 1290.

Achilleas HEEL.
I made this information available to Larry Bartlett of the Ghost…not a dicky bird. What happened to all the cash said to have been over £30,000.
Peel Holdings should really start putting something back into the city instead of circumnavigating its ports, surely they could contribute something to our maritime past.

Barge Watch-Liverpool Canal Link An Expensive Folly.

Did no-one work out that for 6 months of the year this 20 million pounds canal link folly would be redundant.
We are now starting a new competition "Spot the Barge". Answers on a postcard your starters for ten.
Who will spot the first barge..Just like the first Cuckoo arriving spring, when will the first barge arrive. When will those bargees finally brace the frozen tundra of Liverpools Pier Head. When will the ice melt and the first boat arrive. We are waiting in anticipation. The Manchester Ship Canal that Peel Holdings own is doing alright.
Here is a picture taken by Mrs Sidebottom from Salford of the Oldham Echo Delivery barge ghosting its way down the Manchester Ship Canal with its  delivery of Council propaganda (5 days late) telling us all about how great the new canal link is and how wonderful to have the 20 million pounds of taxpayers money spent in such a way when most of Toxteth still lies in ruins, 3 decades after the Toxteth Riots. 

Liverpools Three Graces from the Sea. Oh What Happened There?

This is a picture taken from the TV so its a bit fuzzy.
It needs to be enlarged to see the full horror that awaits any sailor when arriving at Liverpools World Heritage Site.
The juxtoposition of completly alien styles have now created a architectural abonimation.
Why couldnt they just leave it alone. If its not broke dont fix it was cried out loud from all quarters.
Iconic to Ichronic in five years.
To think Liverpools world famous waterfront escaped two world wars, The Blitz, all the 60s planning disasters that befell us and this load of bad planning donkeys led by a small minority of architectural illiterate philistines do this with it overnight while Unesco and the English Heretics stand idly by and dont protect it. It is a travesty a crime against architecture that has befallen my city. We had it all and they have taken it away from us. I am ashamed of what they hve done to our once great syline.

New Housing Estate for the Town Centre.

In the spirit of Christmas a new housing estate has sprung up in Lord Street. Or is it a Continental market full of scousers selling stinky cheese?. Right in front of all the shops in this part of town who pay their rates. Grosvenor obviously did not want them blocking access to all those money spinning multi-national companies that have just been given amazing rent free terms to abandon other parts of town for the new swanky part.

Setback on University Campus Scheme.

Have the planning committee finally been taken by a stroke of common sense?.
Yesterdays meeting was a done deal Florence Gersten feared. She a fearless and talented heritage campaigner was joined by several (total of 7) objectors armed with signed petitions, who put a case forward in a most understandable manner. A representitive of Minster Court Residents association did a fine speach as did several local residents. This is a scheme that most consider needs to go back to the drawing board. Unless you are David "Do I live in Liverpool or Southport" Irving who it appeared did all he could to assist this application through. The amendment was put forward by Labour Princes Park councillor Anna Rothery who is up for re-election soon.
There were no press at the planning meeting. No the local papers do not even turn up to planning meetings now.more content to rehash the same stories over and over again than leave the warm office. Example
1st December.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/12/01/hill-dickinson-s-work-on-the-museum-of-liverpool-s-energy-contract-won-it-a-top-award-92534-25292494/
August 11th
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/11/ldp-legal-hill-dickinson-secures-500-000-energy-bill-saving-for-new-museum-92534-24366116/
Lazyness will get you nowhere the people of Liverpool deserve better than this.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/12/02/setback-for-liverpool-university-halls-of-residence-plans-92534-25301387/
It was Nick Small who phoned the press outside and a photographer came over to get a flick.
It is no wonder they get the height of the building wrong which is why the plans are objected to on the grounds of the scale and the massing and a load of other facts but what do we expect from the local press.

Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors Liverpool. Is Alistair Macrazy out of control. J'Acusse.

This a letter printed in todays Daily Ghost. (Even Brocklebank is using the term Daily Ghost now). pic courtosy the Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/mr-brocklebank/2009/12/01/mr-brocklebank-finds-a-ghost-in-the-house-92534-25291555/ The real ghost is the Ghost writer who does the letters page.
I have to concur that I no longer write the majority of the Brocklebank column anymore, at times I was contributing 90% thinking I was helping local debate until I woke up . http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/10/oldham-echo-mind-control-to-major-tom.html
Are these local papers under the leadership of "Alastair Macrazy Horse" totally out of control. Is he so contemptable that he does not care anymore for those who buy his papers? Did he ever anyhow?
The letters page is sponsered by Frank McKennas, Downtown Liverpool. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-frank-mckenna-really-editing.html

Take this as a small example of contempt there is a lot more where this came from. Yesterdays letters.

Take time to appreciate

Dec 1 2009
I WOULD like to reassure Mr Green from Dutton (Letters, November 30) over his concerns about the development on Mann Island. I appreciate his, and others’, feelings about potential loss of views of The Three Graces from the Albert Dock. These views have defined Liverpool and have inspired both wonder and amazement in many.
I also appreciate that resistance to change is a part of human nature. However, I would also suggest that, in time and with completion, that most of the naysayers will gradually come to like and appreciate this new development.
If you take some time to look at the site, you will see how the cladding of the three new buildings reflect the surrounding buildings and the sky in quite a magical way. You will also notice how the three structures have been cleverly designed so as to still preserve key sight-lines from the Albert Dock – tantalising glimpses of more to come.
Furthermore, you will note that, when complete, a whole new public realm will have been created. What also will be worthwhile is the relocation of The Open-Eye Gallery into one of the buildings – many people have never encountered this gallery, but will soon be able to. It will not all be apartment blocks! Once the new museum is complete, the access bridge from The Albert Dock will re-open and the whole area will be re-vitalised and buzzing. I remember all of the concerns that people voiced before Liverpool One opened: fearing the loss of Chavasse Park – but who would now honestly say that the remodelled park is not a huge success?
All of the new developments have breathed life and vitality back into Liverpool. It strikes me that there are far too many people whose initial reactions are always negative and critical – it is very life-denying, because to move into the future we have to change and embrace the new.
J Anderson, Grassendale
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/views/letters-to-editor/2009/12/01/take-time-to-appreciate-92534-25293815/
Well everyone is entitled to their opinion....if it were a valid opinion.
Yesterdays Daily Ghost had this letter which I printed in the comments of yesterdays posting. Notice that it says.... by Pamela Hoey....yes there is a clue. It may be apparant they havn't even got enough staff to disguise what they are up to these days.
Its just not my view that has been noticed by others.  http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/11/subversive-elements-smuggle-letter-into.html see Correspondent actually thinks about what they write.
So it would have meant someone would have had to pick up a pen and write a letter, take it to a postbox where it would have been recieved the next day, considering the Ghost is printed in Oldham the same day as the letter apeared it would have gone in the day after next. But no its in todays letters page, the next day. How can this be?.........Unless they already had the letter when they set it up. You know they are not even clever enough to disguise it anymore. What an absolute disgraceful act of confidence tricksters. It is not easy to catch them out these days. I defy them to prove me wrong.

Eyesore blocks fabulous view


Nov 30 2009 by Pamela Hoey, Liverpool Daily Post

Add a commentRecommend THERE are places that have the good fortune to be blessed with buildings or locations which over time become regarded with much affection and draw world-wide admiration.
Liverpool has the Pier Head and the Three Graces. This complex has won international recognition, culminating in the deserved accolade of World Heritage Site.
Liverpudlians are justifiably proud of the fact their city possesses something unique and a view that is iconic. This prompts me to pose a question. Can a value or price be placed on such a thing?
To have one iconic view is, for any city, a priceless asset. But Liverpool, by virtue of the warehouse clearances in the 1980s, became the owner of two views. I refer to the vista that was opened up with the demolition of the buildings around the Salthouse Dock. In one broad sweep the Albert Dock, Pump House, the “Graces” and the Art Deco Mersey Tunnel ventilation tower were on spectacular view.
Presented with such outrageous good fortune as the custodians and trustees of this visual treasure, what have the city fathers done to express their appreciation and determination to conserve this precious asset? With a lack of imagination and insensitivity they have authorised the construction of – a block of flats.
The view has now been effectively wrecked with what I have every confidence will prove an architectural non-entity.
Inevitably one has to ask the question, bearing in mind our inclusion in the exalted company of World Heritage Sites, would the Indians have built a block of flats in front of the Taj Mahal? Will the Americans enhance the Statue of liberty thus?
I don’t think so.
I wonder – apart from the short-sighted individuals who authorised construction – if there is any enthusiasm or support for this eyesore from the public?

F T Green, Dutton

Well and truly caught do they not have any morales. from now on Little Brother is watching Big Brother and a full report will go to the Directors of Trinity Mirror.