Friday 24 August 2012

John Whittaker-The Words The Liverpool Echo Wants To Censor.

What is wrong with adding the word Whittaker to an article about a letter sent by John Whittaker about Liverpool Waters the scheme that has put Liverpool on the World Heritage In Danger list. Most people have known its Trinity "Smoking" Mirror with a vested interest but how bad is this when they open up a forum and the censor it. To those in the know, to call this tacky little toerag a paper has always been stretching it but now in the Internet age they are playing all the usual tricks. Remember when they did not print an article about the Duke of Westminster the biggest landowner in the city centre allegedly being named as a £2000 a night "escort" user. It was all over the national papers and not a dicky bird in the Daily Ghost. No wonder it died a slow death because most people knew it had been corrupted. Polluted by the stench of invested interests that should not be allowed in village Liverpool. 
So now you cant mention the name of another property mogul in a weak livered press capsule that is so full of invested interests that it stinks to high water.  http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2012/08/22/liverpool-waters-skyscraper-scheme-could-start-in-2013-100252-31670478/ This is the article try it yourself................try and get past the censors at Trinity Smoking Mirror Groups joke of an online forum.
We were sent this picture and asked to highlight it.
The article by Malcolm Kennedy the great city council regenerators mate David Bartlett and contains a link to a letter probably written by Lindsey Ashworth but signed by John Whittaker. http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2012/08/in-full-peel-chairman-john-whi.html

No wonder nobody buys the garbage that they print and even the free stuff on the Internet is manipulated, what a disgrace. In this day and age the people of Liverpool are far too wise than to let the despicable people who pick their own news dictate to them what they can and cant write. 
And to think this was in response to John Whittaker as head of Peel Holdings being called out in the commons by Jack Straw


A property developer has used "legal subterfuge" to try to force through redevelopment plans for a Lancashire retail park, claims Jack Straw MP.

The Blackburn MP was leading a Commons debate on Peel Holdings' bid to sell a greater variety of goods at Whitebirk, between Blackburn and Accrington.

He said it could "undermine" government plans to rejuvenate town centres.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9836827.Jack_Straw___s_concern_on_Whitebirk_retail_park/

Here is what the Lancashire Telegraph has to say. click on the links.

In the meantime most Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors, local Editors are out to lunch with Peel Holdings lapping up the dog biscuits discarded at the top table by Joe Anderson and Peels invisible Chinese Investors telling everyone how great they are when they are not.
A disgrace they should be ashamed of themselves in bringing down the name of journalism to a cowardly level.


http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2012-05-16d.662.0  Here is the full debate because you wont get it in the Echo.

David



Thursday 23 August 2012

A Huge Panel Come Off The Travelodge In Liverpools World Heritage Site.

Less than a year after its built and its falling to bits. The Travelodge at the Pier Head. They promised us a landmark building............not a pock marked building and this is what we have a tacky http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/travelodge-for-liverpools-world.html Travelodge with a Tesco. Here is a picture today showing just how well its constructed it now is. Was someone hurt? Did it fly off in the middle of the night? Did they remove it before it injured someone?  Either way its just not good enough for Liverpools World Heritage Site...and its reputation, hang on, do Liverpool planners have a reputation?  Last year the Malmaison http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/liverpool-malmaison-facade-is-falling.html had to be reclad when some tilehanger decided to do a dodgy job. Then there was a huge panel that blew off the Unity building, we thought it would last at least 10 years before bits fell off. Oh and the City Loft building that saw a huge 100kg panel blow out. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/alexanra-tower-100kg-pane-of-glass.html And Peel Holdings are planning Dubai-On-Mersey in the now Unesco World Heritage Site that is on the "In Danger" list.

Monday 20 August 2012

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy Manipulating The Liverpool Echo.


Here is todays news from David Bartlett with a headline in the Echo "City's Historic Gems Protected". You have to laugh

West Derby Village and Princes Park conservation areas to be extended

pic courtesy of the Oldham Echo.
Two conservation areas in Liverpool will be extended to give extra protection to more houses and other properties.

It is obvious that this has been fed hook line and silver spoon to David from Malcolm Kennedy who seems to get away with rather too much of late.
More than 100 buildings in West Derby Village and two leafy roads lined with Victorian villas in Princes Park, Toxteth, are to be included in the conservation areas.
Today, Liverpool council’s ruling Labour cabinet will approve the extension, subject to there being no objections during a statutory 21-day consultation period.
Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This plan will give additional protection to the heritage of these beautiful areas.
“They are much-loved parts of the city and the feedback we had from the consultation has been very positive.”
At West Derby, the extension will take in another 17 listed buildings as well as the ancient monument site of the Norman Castle and extend protection to streets which retain the character and pattern of the 19th- century village. It will encompass the existing West Derby Village Conservation Area with an extension southwards to include most of the property on Hayman’s Green, Eaton Road North, part of Crosby Green and a longer section of Mill Lane.
It will also extend farther westwards to include the West Derby Community Centre, Field House and the Margaret Beavan School. The Castle Field and St Mary’s Rectory to the north will also be included.
At Princes Park, the conservation area will be extended to include Greenheys Road and Bentley Road, following a request by local residents, supported by councillors, through the Greenheys Road Forum
Houses in these roads were built in the mid-Victorian period and have a complementary character and history to the rest of the conservation area.
The city has 35 conservation areas covering 1,005 hectares (about 9% of the city area) and protecting some 19,000 properties.
Conservation area status does not prevent new developments, but means extra protection for buildings.
Any proposed demolition of buildings is subject to greater controls with a presumption that there should be no demolition of architecturally or historically significant buildings.
There is greater consideration given to the design of new buildings and structures in planning decisions.
Minor works, not normally subject to planning permission, such as replacing windows and adding minor extensions, are subject to greater controls.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2012/08/17/west-derby-village-and-princes-park-conservation-areas-to-be-extended-100252-31640157/

This is Orwellian, and David who is not paid to think should know better because by doing this sort of inadequate reporting it lets the council off the hook.

So lets just look at the situation

Liverpol has seven Conservation areas at risk here they are

Castle Street, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside

Ogden Close, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside


Derwent Square, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside


Newsham Park, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside


Duke Street, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside


Stanley Dock, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside


Princes Road, Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside





So Malcolm Kennedy is extending a Conservation area that is on English Heritage Conservation Area At Risk register.

Asset Type: Conservation Area at Risk

Name: Princes Road, Liverpool

District/London Borough: Liverpool

County: Merseyside

Region: North West

Designation: Conservation Area

Condition: Poor

Vulnerability: Medium

Trend: Deteriorating

New Entry: No


Mr Kennedy is out of control.









Friday 17 August 2012

Holy Trinity Church on Breck Road, Liverpool Put On English Heritage "At Risk Register.

Holy Trinity Church on Breck Road, Liverpool has had a roof, gutters and downpipes and the high level stonework all in a poor state of repair. It has received funds for conversion of undercroft for use of social organisations, which will help in keeping the building in continual use.






Asset Type: Place of Worship at Risk





Name: Holy Trinity Church

Street: Breck Road

District/London Borough: Liverpool

Locality: Walton Breck

County: Merseyside

Parliamentary Constituency: Liverpool, Walton

Region: North West

Designation: Grade II listed building

Designation CA: Yes

List Entry Number: 1280619

Condition: Poor

Priority Category: D

New Entry: Yes

Owner Type: Religious organisation

Contact: Tim Wilkins 0161 242 1419

http://risk.english-heritage.org.uk/register.aspx?id=5564&rt=1&pn=1&st=a&ctype=all&crit=liverpool

Monday 13 August 2012

Liverpool Waters To Go Back To The Planning Committee In September.

Liverpool Waters plans are just a badge on the wall in the Town Hall. Passed by the City Council planning committee poodles in March and hailed by Peels Chinese Circus at the planning committee meeting as a new dawn for Liverpool, 6 months later they are still no nearer to building anything, in fact the past 6 months look as if they have been a waste of time, as they have now got to resubmit the application to the planning committee. Despite the city council press machine feeding the local press with mistruths that the application was to be submitted to the Secretary of State in August IT IS NO FURTHER ALONG THAN THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 
IN THE MEANTIME LIVERPOOL HAS BEEN PLACED  ON UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER LIST.
 So the application was rushed through by Joe Anderson to help his Mayoral campaign and it is now clear that this was forced through with little thought. We do not have a Chief Planning Officer in Liverpool, since Nigel Lee retired. It is no wonder, the full gravity of the planning application was not discussed adequately.
In the meantime The UK State Party A.K.A The Government have been told by Unesco to submit a programme to remove Liverpool from the Unesco In Danger List.
A full report has to be submitted to Unesco by February 2013.


Thursday 9 August 2012

David Bartlett Takes The City Council To Task Over Lime Street Dereliction.

Or does he just give them the chance to defend the atrocious mess that is Lime Street?.
We have been banging on about this for years.
This block is ended by two listed buildings The Grapes public hous and the Vines.
Bartlett writes;
A FIVE-YEAR masterplan will attempt to revitalise Liverpool’s Lime Street.
City regeneration leaders admitted the road and neighbouring Renshaw Street are top of their list of priorities after becoming blighted by numerous derelict properties.
They have relaunched a joint venture company called Regeneration Liverpool, with Sigma In partnership, which will develop at least five sites across the city.
Lime Street and Renshaw Street is one of those projects and the company has already been tasked with drawing up a masterplan.
Between 2007 and 2010, £35m of mainly public money was lavished on improvements after Lime Street station was rated one of the worst in the country.
It involved knocking down the eyesore Concourse House and a row of shops in front of it, with the public square built at the main entrance in their place.

Read more http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2012/08/09/derelict-and-forgotten-does-liverpool-s-lime-street-have-a-future-99623-31579623/ Wayne informs me he spoke to David last week and highlighted Liverpools need to regenerate the Central Docks while Lime Street lays derelict and fair enough he has sharpened his pencil and got a story out highlighting the need to regenerate this area..............It does not mention the need for regeneration In a sympathetic manner though.
Malcolm Kennedy who has not regenerated anything also gets some air.to regenerate his career he says;

Cllr Kennedy said Lime Street’s problems stem from it previously not being seen as a priority and the fragmented ownership of properties, an issue which also affects Renshaw Street.
He said discussions around what the masterplan will entail are at a sensitive stage and could not release exact details.
But he added: “Everything needs to be smartened up. Some buildings may have to go and new buildings put up. It is about transforming the area and that goes beyond a simple clean-up.”
Some take the view that areas around the main train station in many big cities around the world inevitably show their grubby underbellies, so should Lime Street be left as it is?
“No, not at all,” said Cllr Kennedy firmly.


Heres one we did earlier;
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/call-this-regeneration-liverpool-lime.html
Regeneration, Regeneration, Regeneration.

We even have a Regeneration Officer (Code for lets help Peel Holdings) by the name of Malcolm Kennedy.
Those in charge of Regeneration seem to concentrate on all the easy jobs while the old stock falls down.

The Futurist, that's Ironic, is a mess, left to rot while being so close to the world heritage site it may as well be in it.
Last I heard it was being left to fall down by Neptune Developments who wanted to develop the site. On one end of this block we have the Grapes (this block is next to the Adelphi) and the other end the Vines, both listed buildings because of their architectural merit.

While we are being spoon fed about Liverpool's (false) new dawn those in charge of Regeneration watch while whole blocks lay in decay. Is it a tried and tested plan. Let it fall down, the city council wont use their powers to have the building kept in a good state of repair. Then the developers claim it is in such a bad condition that the only thing to do is knock our historic pieces of architecture down and then build a modern block of flats. Just to the side of this is the Grade II listed ABC Cinema that those Urban Splash people said they were going to restore ......and then didn't, is rotting away.



If only those in charge of Regeneration really were genuine and sincere in the job in hand and stopped dodgy developers in this city letting our historic architectural stock fall down by serving them repair notices.
 
Another page filler from the Daily Ghost last year went no-where.
So where will this story lead to not more public realm money wasted on naff rubbish public art. Lets hope not.

The article mentions the demolition Concourse House, heres what we say One step forward and one step back. Dont forget they kncocke it down and built the most awful block, breze block of student flats imaginable.