Museum of Liverpool-Were English Heritage Corrupt or Complicit In The Ruination Of Liverpools World Heritage Site?

When the Liverpool Council planners under the Riechmarshal Lee secretly slipped in the plans for the then proposed museum in Liverpool’s world heritage site on 20th December 2005, I could not believe it, I should have been shopping for socks for my Uncle Billy, I did not even know of the proposals despite being very involved in planning matters for some time and specifically World Heritage.

Armed with a report from Icomos UK and my own speech. I SHOT OVER TO THE TOWN HALL TO BE THE LONE OBJECTOR.

No one knew about this even though the Ombudsman later cleared them because a one-inch advert appeared in the Merseymart or somewhere that conveniently nobody knew of. http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=307&MId=4716&Ver=4

Now click on the picture above and see the flats, in transparent pen on the Mann Island Site.  

IT WAS STITCHED UP WELL AND TRULY BEFORE-HAND.

David Irving as Chair of the planning comittee was standing in for Lady Doreen Jones the Doyenne of Disaster, he nodded it through.

I got the list of letters sent out by the council one was addressed "the Statue Pier Head" another "The Car Park" Mann Island another to a shop next to mine that did not exist and my shop did not receive one. How strange.
I thought that Peter de Figueiredo http://www.defigueiredo.co.uk/index.html  who was English Heretics historic building advisor at the time has something to answer about because his partner was the Curator of NML, Julian Treuherz. (de Figueiredo now works for Peel Holdings on Liverpool Waters)
http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/t/14373/Julian%20Benjamin+TREUHERZ.aspx
So I wrote to the Heretics under the Freedom of Information act requesting all the documents to show how a reasonable decision could have been made with our world heritage site without public consultation. Something the toothless UNESCO would later confirm was undemocratic. Henry Owen-John was and is real nuisance, he is EH Regional Development Director see picture above
Then by chance I stumbled across a strange bit of information, that the then Chairman of English Heritage Sir Neil Cossons was working for Liverpool Museums…along with ex top knob at the Heretics bureau, Loyd Grossman who was then the chairman of NML…along with the then leader of the city council the now disgraced Mike Storey (who conveniently didn’t tell anyone, in fact it appeared to be a secret)…and the Chairman of the North West Development Agency, Bryan Gray who was to fund the museum by the sale of the land to build 3 huge blocks on the Mann Island site that they owned. They were in the plans but with transparent pen.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpooldailypost/news/regionalnews/tm_headline=controversy-as-building-plans-set-to-go-ahead%26method=full%26objectid=17867193%26page=2%26siteid=50061-name_page.html


Copy thereof
149. Declaration of Interest
The Chairman invited Trustees present to indicate whether they had any conflicting or prejudicial interests within the items of business set out below.
Not specific to any agenda items Mr Grossman advised that he may have conflicts of interest arising from his Deputy Chairmanship of the Liverpool Culture Company. Mr Gray advised that he may have conflicts arising from his Chairmanship of the North West Development Agency. Sir Neil Cossons advised the he may have conflicts of interest arising from his Chairmanship of English Heritage. Councillor Storey advised that he may have conflicts of interest arising from his role as Leader of Liverpool City Council.
RESOLVED that the Board accepts that none of these possible interests give rise to undue conflict or could prejudice the proper transaction of the business of this meeting and the Trustees concerned should not therefore be expected to withdraw from the discussions.

150. Decisions of Trustees
Permission to accept offer of £32,700,000 from the North West Development Agency
RESOLVED that the Trustees accept offer of £32,700,000 from the North West Development Agency
The list of conflicts of interest was immense one of NMLs trustees had even had a job done by 3XN the architects the strange occurrence that not a soul in Liverpool had heard of until the plans for the WHS had been approved. Despite the Conflicts of Interest, lets move on, and ignore them, they then decided.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/trusteesDotNet/meetings.aspx?tid=47

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17112292%26method=full%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

How can you have a then Chairman of English Heritage working for the very perpetrators of WHS disaster. It should not have been allowed?

What the English Heritage series show is that if its convenient, it’s a stitch up right from the top down.
Thurley denied there was any conflict of interests after I wrote to him. Well he would, wouldn't he.

But what happened in reality was that Unesco took the nformation that English Heritage had put together as they were the Governments advisors so it was well and truly stitched.

Current trustees

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/trustees/index.aspx

Neil Cossons has just written a book about Liverpool's Heritage called Liverpool Seaport City.

I hope this man can sleep at night.

Update 30.9.2021

Liverpool has now lost its World Heritage Site Status.

Don't say we didn't tell you.

David Irving as Chairman of Liverpools Planning Committee is a Disgrace.

The Planners of Liverpool have three functionary duties it seems. Accept plans, process plans and Rubber Stamp plans.

It does not matter if the plans are for crap architecture that falls to bits in a couple of years as long as developer wants something the Liverpool planning department will get it through. There are more questions than answers.

Then the Riechmarshal Nigel Lee our Chief Planning Disaster manager http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search/label/Nigel%20Lee  hands them over to the planning committee, made up of poodles without any architectural knowledge and its thumbs up without debate. Liverpool was a city with a world heritage site.......not any more.

I could not attend yesterdays planning meeting I did not know it was debating (sic) the proposed Travelodge on the Strand. I would have lost my temper, if I had of been there. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/01/travelodge-for-liverpools-world.html  Even Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors had a go at this one. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/our-view/2010/01/20/liverpool-s-world-famous-waterfront-needs-better-than-another-budget-hotel-100252-25637804/

I had a report put through my door from the intrepid Florence Gersten yesterday. It said I wanted to talk to you about this mornings planning meeting, particularly the new travelodge on the Strand. I was as near total loss of temper, publicly, as I have ever been.
Now this is serious. I had no idea that the plans were being debated.

Irving who asked Florence Gersten if she was representing the Liverpool Preservation Trust altered the Agenda. “No I am representing SOC Save Our City,” she said. The despicable little man knows exactly whom she represents, so why did he ask her this question.
He barracked her breaking into the speech asking her to stop talking she had spoke for two minutes, while the architects were given unlimited time.
“This has been a long meeting and we have had to set off early,” he said
Florence said I have one paragraph left about the colour of the cladding”

“I AM NOT INTERESTED IN THE COLOUR OF THE BUILDING,” he declared

A PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN NOT INTERESTED IN THE COLOUR OF THE BUILDING BEING DEBATED, IN THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Just where did this bloke  slither in from, no wonder its carbuncles-R-us down at the Pier Head. We have the honour of being a world heritage site and numbskull Irving and the other planning committee poodles are compliant in world heritage disaster, just what has gone wrong in Liverpool. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/liverpool-city-council-planning.html

A blue plastic clad building, a Travelodge. They who are the purveyors of Cheap and nasty tacky hotel architecture being allowed into the Liverpool World Heritage Site and the committee Chairman says I am not interested in the colour. Well what do you expect from someone who doesn’t live in Liverpool. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/david-irving-planning-chairman-caught.html  It could be said that the current crop of this committee are Subverting the whole planning process.
I hope they can sleep at night.

Just what are the English Heretics doing and where are Unesco. IcomosUK used to comment until Liverpool City Council became a corporate member.

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/06/mann-island-tale-of-two-cities.html
While next door the famous White Star Line Building lies empty rotting away.

Now the Lyceum of Bold Street is to Get a Carbuncle.

They did it with the Bluecoat  which now has a giant Novotel chimney sticking out of it and today they, the council planning committee have passed contemptious passed plans to do the same to The Lyceum one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Europe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lyceum,_Liverpool  . http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/liverpool-novatel-tragic-addition-to.html  
The Lyceum was saved by Florence Gersten (it must have been so hard for her to argue this one) with the help of SAVE Britains Heritage http://www.savebritainsheritage.org/  who did the exhibition, TRIUMPH DISASTER and DECAY http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/03/save-exhibition-now-showing-triumph.html  which I reviewed for The Georgian issue no 1/2009 . The saving of the Lyceum is hailed as one of the successes by Marcus Binney in fact a huge one in their entire existence. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/triumph-disaster-and-decay-milkandsugar-liverpool-1630252.html  It now will be despoiled with yet more planning blight courtesy of Liverpool City Council and its ill educated planning committee http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/11/liverpool-city-council-planning.html  led by the soon to retire permanently to Southport David Irving. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/david-irving-planning-chairman-caught.html  An ignorant man whilst Florence was giving a brilliant detailed speech of why it was important to protect the views he did not listen and sat there talking to Nigel Lee, our Chief Planning disaster. He brought in the developers friend John Bimbow of the planning dept who sold it to them. I don’t know how this planning official can sleep at night.
Parts of the plans were needed but again its one step forward and two back in this city.
After all the fuss about Lewis’s closing http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2010/02/lewiss-is-to-close-300-jobs-to-go.htm  it become evident through the course of the committee meeting that the developers never had any intention for a shop there.

Some Lyceum history.
http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/28/cold_dir/cold_s.htm
Originally the Lyceum was to be demolished outrage and a massive campaign ensued.
http://www.liverpoolmonuments.co.uk/buildings/lyceum01.html

See planning application and agenda for today’s meeting.
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/Published/C00000307/M00009420/AI00062418/$item10.docA.ps.pdf

In the world heritage buffer zone the impact on views of the Anglican cathedral will be huge.
The English Heritics offered no comments.

David Bartlett from the Daily Ghost was there but with their lead today there is no chance of anything other than a thumbs up. Lets see if he notices anything about the iconic Lyceum to now be wrapped in plastic apartments 22 storeys high. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/02/23/liverpool-department-store-lewis-s-set-to-close-with-the-loss-of-300-jobs-92534-25893044/
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/02/23/grosvenor-sells-liverpool-george-henry-lee-and-tesco-buildings-for-20m-92534-25893046/ 
The Daily Ghost claims that the shoppers deserted Liverpool but with no chance of building a business the owners of Lewis’s store were left to go downmarket to survive. Its one step forward and one back.

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.

Liverpool City Council, Planning Committee Poodles.

OR GRINNING LAUGHING ASSASSINS?
I dared to venture to this weeks Tuesdays planning committee a colleague of ours had been fighting against plans sponsored by Liverpool Vision and Liverpool University to smack a mass of student flats in Myrtle Street to make a packet out of the people they teach. They had been doing a good job.


What came up first was agenda item 4 Land and buildings at Hartley Avenue 08F/2126. There was a host of objectors Tony Seibentiela (I think I have spelt that right). There was someone sitting there in short pants and a blazer behind me with a gobstopper in his mouth of all about 12 and he had a notebook. Oh he must be the new local reporter lacking about 20 years experience to even know what they are discussing. But hey he is just a reporter. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/10/21/fazakerley-hartley-s-village-residents-fear-warehouse-application-100252-24978135/

The last times we attended we did cause controversy and it looked like there was a meeting within a meeting. http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/Published/C00000307/M00009411/AI00059158/$item8.docA.ps.pdf

David Irving was on the table with his hush puppies and his Aran Cardy with a packet of Worthers originals looking like someone’s grandfather or favourite uncle while underneath the table brandishing a stiletto knife ready to stab the objectors in the back like a laughing assassin whilst going through the motions. “What about the listed buildings next to this proposed site does the applicant own these” He did “So cant we do something about them” The objectors were clear and concise we want this area to be a heritage led regeneration zone and they are doing something about it. I was not aware of the potential of this location until recently. They want to make it like the Eldonian Village.

http://www.localmouth.com/go/hartleys-village They have got the whole area behind them. Sitting there arrogantly chewing gum was the Reichmarshal Nigel Lee who has been discussing this scheme with the developers for years and his henchman John Bimbow does the dirty telling the committee this is a good scheme while I am looking at the screen showing the proposals thinking you should be ashamed of yourself I do not know how Bimbow can sleep at night. Why is he always pushing awful schemes on us does he live in Liverpool? The Reichmarshal doesn’t and David Irving defiantly doesn’t, http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/david-irving-planning-chairman-caught.html

What hope do the people have in protecting their area. Anna Rotheray seemed a bit vocal maybe she is coming out of herself I thought she is putting up an argument. I would later find out she was standing for the vacant Wavertree seat.

“Couldn’t the listed buildings be cleaned up as part of this scheme” Irving asked Bimbow “No”. “Surely we could ask them to…..” “No”. There it was the stiletto is out and it’s in and out like a flash and its passed. Mr Woodward just sat there; as did the other objectors who had said this specific proposal could undermine the future of the area.
You know the people who pay the wages of the disgraceful planning authority that is Liverpool seemed powerless to impose their own views on their own area. Shame on you all. David Irving is just Doreen Jones in brogues it seems. A wasted opportunity.
The passing of the plans said
Resolved that the recommendation be approved and that the Planning Manager be requested to advise the applicant that the Committee would welcome any actions undertaken that might enhance the visual amenity of the listed buildings and their surroundings at this location through general routine maintenance and upkeep.
http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=307&MId=9411&Ver=4

Chavasse Park a Monument to Greed

Rod Holmes came in my shop today.
I left him very wound up last time I spoke with him. The usual calm and collective Rodney who pulled the whole scheme together for the Duke of Grosvenor-pool and Westminster was annoyed with me. I had dared to state that the project was like a Trafford Park in the city without a roof on. He went for it “Well that’s just your opinion” he said he got very agitated at one time.
Florence Gersten and I were objectors to the absolutely horrendous Cesar Pelli tower on Chavasse Park in the buffer zone. He had been very worried, we having brought Unesco into Liverpool for a reactive monitoring mission had complained to the Chief Planning officer that they had started work without planning consent. Subsequently a planning committee approval was sought in no time at all. Lady Dorian Jones vacated the chair because she knew the applicant. She had recently publicly stated how she had such a wonderful time at the Duke of Westminster’s daughters wedding…. er hang on the chair of the planning committee who Warren Bradley the council leader stated publicly had mentored him, whose address came up as CH4 9DG, which is on the Dukes Estate ....how curious.

David” I don’t live in Liverpool” Irving the deputy chair passed it while the convicted Councillor Hurst tried to agitate me to put me off. They already had it passed in my opinion and now we have something resembling Widnes Tech on the Liverpool skyline. Rodney was back to his usual calm self today and I did not wind him. His wife had told him about my shop, not sure if he knew it was me who runs it, as he may not have come in.
I had listened to a Radio 4 programme today about the recession and the subsequent empty shops. The presenter was in Chester while the interviewees were claiming a lot of people had gone shopping to Liverpool 1 hitting the town hard. So the Duke of Westminster who has a vast estate, just outside Chester, has helped kill the town because he built Liverpool 1. How strange is that, is that like shooting yourself in the foot or what?

Image 1 The building completed. Image 2 under construction showing its placement in the WHS. Image 3 from the Albert Dock the biggest conglomeration of Grade I listed buildings in the country.

Rod is now chair of Mersey Partnerships. He was mopping beads of sweat last time I was speaking to him calling us the Heritage People “Well we tried to engage everybody”. He said and I stopped him and said “Mr Holmes why do you look at those who love their city as enemies".

He stopped and paused “ Sometimes Mr Holmes your enemies are your best friends in disguise, they are the ones that tell you the truth” I proclaimed.

I wish him well in his new job but we need to keep an eye on Peel Holdings who have far too much power.
http://www.peelwaters.co.uk/LpoolWaters.html

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/developer-threatens-liverpool-scheme-move/1084851.article
The flats at Chavasse Park that we and others objected to, have been reduced again to 90k because they have not sold. They will also give you 5k of furniture free that’s a minimum of 20% down in the year since they went on the market. The potential buyers reneged, so they have not sold. The reality is that if Grosvener and the council Spivs who pushed it through increasing its height from 12 Storeys on the master plan to 17 storeys had of listened they would not have had an empty block and an eyesore in the World Heritage Site, that we will have to live with forever, or until it falls down in 30 years. Sometimes people don’t listen.

Captain Chavasse will be turning in his grave with this as monument to his sacrifice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Godfrey_Chavasse

Liverpool Museums gave me a MASBO

YOU HAVE HEARD OF AN ASBO...WELL I HAVE GOT A MASBO. The infantile little "twasser" who runs the museums "his Feltness" Dr David Fleming OBE (Our Big Ego)has banned me from the museums and to think, its that "plonker" who is guilty of anti social behaviour upsetting everyone around him including all his staff with his public relations car-crash.
He has complained to everyone who he has been criticised by, and thats many, and now he has thrown his toys out of his little frilly felt lined pram, and turned on me. I am so hurt and upset about this that I have taken an aspirin..lad a lay down.......mopped my brow.....its all too much........and decided to write about it.
He is now in a spat with the Daily Ghost and Jeckyl, who is is complaining about for, er...telling the truth. He is bully, he has realised that everytime he complains he gets a bit of publicity by default and he hopes that the hard working staff at the paper's will shy away from the aggravation and confrontation, I sincerely hope they don't. He has a big (lack of)personality problem in my opinion and not content with destroying the years of heritage that Liverpool Museums has by turning the publicly funded world museum into the Wacky Warehouse, where we have had two terrible deaths. He has also destroyed the whole essence of what Sudley House was about, and nailing a glass runway on the side of the Lady Lever was a big mistake. Its a good job he cant get his hands on the Williamson in Birkenhead....Can he? No please keep him away.
Well when I say he has banned me from the Liverpool museums, who are a client of mine, he was recently presented with the guest list for the current photography exhibition by Franco who I have known for nearly 30 years and when he saw my name he crossed it out and said "Under no circumstances is he going" boo! hoo! hoo! Yes he is big, he is tough, he is Fleming. Well I will just have to sneak in next time wont I, its a public place. What a little dictator he is. He has got a right cob on about me writing on this blog about him. I am so sorry about that. He is particularly sensitive to me mentioning his wife Alison Hastings who is on the press complaints committee...oh and she is a trustee of the BBC also.
He did not say much when Reximillions who also withdrew funding for NML because Felto has upset him, mentioned them both in his column. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/liverpool-columnists/rex-makin/2009/02/06/st-george-s-hall-s-famous-floor-should-be-free-for-all-100252-22867688/

Well I think this is all a smokescreen because he told us that 3XN the architects that he sacked were bringing us a piece of Danish Architecture to our World Heritage Site and we will like it one day the pathetic planning committee all believed him. Or did they! David "Am I bovvered because I dont live in Liverpool"Irving, passed the plans in what the papers called a nod through on the 20th December 05.
It reminded me of something I was sure it was a Oscar Niemeyer rip-off like Paddys Wigwam. I was sure that's where the inspiration came from.....and I could not understand why a giant skateboard ramp would be a museum. I wondered about the white Elephant-on-Sea and where I has seen the shape of the giant squashed ciggy packet......................... then, I found it.








Right behind the Baltic Fleet there it was the copper power station, they have conned us all, the architect has ripped off with a power station.
This is what Phlem hates being caught out because the little tin-pot Emperor is not wearing any clothes and is standing there naked in the ill wind of uncertainty waiting till the next massive tide floods all our artifacts because they ignored the flood risk warnings from the Environment Agency.
Its not me who should be banned but the tin-pot who runs the place who is wasting my money on a museum that no-one wants that will not even be able to display the items because they designed the shape first.

The Power Station behind the Baltic Fleet Pub. Liverpools New Museum was based on this design by............ Manweb.

David Irving Planning Chairman Does Not Live in Liverpool.

Liverpool planning chairman in Southport home row. Well done Mr Bartlett.

Well they have finally caught up with the fact that the people who run the city don't live here.....check out Trevor Jones address on Google earth CH4 9DG. It appears he could throw his mobile phone into the Duke of Westminster's back yard (y'know the biggest landowner in the city who was given a third of the city centre). While Irving standing in for Lady Doreen the previous Chairperson passed all the Grosvenor plans that came before him. When Land owned by Clevor Trevor and Lady Dorian came up at planning meetings guess what... he passed the plans. When the land lay derelict and the director of the "developer" Windsor Developments was allegedly convicted of fraud and struck off the accountants register nothing was said.

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search?q=Sir+Trevor+Jones

They are all swilling around I the same bucket of dross in my opinion.

I had blogged these facts weeks ago.

He came past my shop a couple of weeks ago on a crutch he had just had an operation on his toe......I asked him about the Jones property dealings. "I don't take Backhanders" he said. "I never said you did" I replied.

He gives his address as 96 Moscow Drive, L13 7DL on the councillor http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=267

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search?q=David+Irving

Mates with the convicted Steve Hurst http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search?q=steve+Hurst I watched them working in tandem stitching planning meetings as they wished,

May 28 2009 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post
Liverpool planning chairman in Southport home row
A ROW has erupted over where the chairman of Liverpool’s planning committee lives, after he was allegedly followed by “private investigators”.
Cllr Dave Irving, who represents Knotty Ash for the Liberal Democrats, claimed that the Labour Party had him followed.
Labour claim the party was anonymously sent a dossier containing evidence that allegedly shows Cllr Irving lives in Southport.
Cllr Irving said he spends the week living with his son in Moscow Drive, in Tuebrook, and spends weekends in Southport with his ex-wife, Yvonne.
Liverpool city council’s solicitor Paul Evans has been asked by Labour to investigate the claims against Cllr Irving. Under council rules, candidates must have lived in the council area they are standing in for the whole of the previous 12 months at the time of nomination, or be registered as an elector for the council area in which they wish to stand or have worked in the area.
Cllr Irving, a retired police officer, lists his home address as being Moscow Drive. He also owns a home in Dunbar Road, Southport.
The allegations against Cllr Irving were presented to him and the police last year ahead of the May local elections.
Police decided to take no further action, and Cllr Irving refused to remove himself from nomination.He went on to win the Knotty Ash seat by just 35 votes.
The row has surfaced after Cllr Irving accused Labour in a council meeting of having him followed.
Cllr Anderson said: “The evidence was sent to our office in Laurel Road. It’s a nonsense to say we had him followed.
“We gave the evidence to the police last year and they said they had no reason to disbelieve that he was trying to reconcile his marriage.
“Since then, we have been sent more information which cast serious doubt on where he spends his time.
“So we have given it to the city solicitor to look into.”
Cllr Irving said: “I live most of the time with my son in Moscow Drive, and spend weekends in Southport with my ex-wife.
“I have listened to the Labour party go on about Steve Hurst [convicted of breaking election law] and they are making out they are whiter than white, far from it.”
He said he believed the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act had been breached and had considered taking legal action, but did not want to cause members of his family any distress.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/05/28/liverpool-planning-chairman-in-southport-home-row-92534-23730886/

Florence Gersten-A Life Spent Helping Others.

Florence Gersten.
I seem to always have to tell about the architectural distress that has befallen my city.
Forget all the stuff about Capital of Culture hype; It is a fact we are making irretrievable mistakes that with the betroth of a legacy of disdain on those who need the help, the next generation.
While the Riechmarshal Nigel Lee and his pock markers down at the planning department have set about destroying the Liverpool essence that sense of place and infilling it with glass boxes, Florence has fought all the way. Every week she trawls the planning lists.
There is only an amount that one person can do no matter how knowledgeable they are.
While Dads Army at the Liverpool Conservation Department (sic) have not even bothered to put up a fight she has been there working hard.
46 Listed Buildings we have lost while Glynn Marsden and Steve Corbett have been around. How can they call themselves Conservation officers with this record.
We even have a buildings at risk officer full time…the cushiest job in the city its like ringing the Carlsberg helpline….ring,ring……..ring,ring…ring,ring …deadening silence.
Florence Gersten is an unsung hero. Her life is spent attaining the architectural knowledge that helps her opinions to be formulated.
She is never far wrong. She is always a help, dedicated to helping to save the heart and soul of Liverpool. Not just the big areas like the WHS, but the run down areas that are a bit rough around the ears.
The problem is that when you have an uneducated clutter of uncultured idiots on the planning committee her opinions are like pearls before swine.
Now led by David Irving, who allegedly lives in Southport, so what does he care about what happens here, the planning committee is made up of numbskull's. Florence has probably forgotten more last week than the whole lot of them have or will ever know in their entire lives about architectural taste or terminology or its history.
Lady Doreen Jones who recently said, “Politics is a dirty business” who was chair of the planning committee used to brush her aside when she was playing political shenanigans and use her opinions when needed. I was at the committee meeting when a lady shouted “Shame on you Doreen” such was the anger she evoked in her dirty business.
Florence does all her printing and expenses from her own purse and it must have mounted up over the years. Nothing I have ever enquired from her has ever been too much trouble. She is an unsung heroine fighting the insurmountable odds with developers and a council with massive budgets. She will always know about the detail of a Georgian fanlight or a unique dwelling that cannot be seen from the road.
Despite sometimes not being in the best of health.
Her knowledge and understanding should be used to enhance a grasp of the past, and if that was done we would be far better with an architectural legacy of her choice than a load of tacky glass boxes that are thrust upon us of recent dates.
Florence Gersten should be listed as a monument to one lady’s fight against insurmountable odds.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/10/15/world-legacy-lost-64375-19951585/
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/src/webroot/ldp2/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-special-features/2009/02/04/preserving-the-future-wealth-of-liverpool-64375-22849428/
SAVE EXPO Liverpool Triumph Disaster and Decay.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/expats/localhistory//tm_headline=the-city-s-magnificent-seven%26method=full%26objectid=18579168%26page=1%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

Sir Neil Cossons.How did he get away with this.

Sir Neil Cossons-English Heretic. 

When the Liverpool Council planners under the Chief planning officer Nigel Lee secretly slipped in the plans for the then proposed museum in Liverpool’s world heritage site on 20th December 05, I could not believe it, I should have been shopping for socks for my Uncle Billy, I did not even know of the proposals despite being very involved in planning matters for some time and specifically World Heritage. Armed with a report from Icomos UK and my own speech. I SHOT OVER TO THE TOWN HALL TO BE THE LONE OBJECTOR. No one knew about this even though the Ombudsman later cleared them because a one-inch advert appeared in the Merseymart or somewhere that conveniently nobody knew of. http://councillors.liverpool.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=307&MId=4716&Ver=4

IT WAS STITCHED UP WELL AND TRULY BEFORE-HAND. David Irving as Chair standing in for Lady Doyenne Jones nodded it through.

 I got the list of letters sent out by the council one was addressed "the Statue Pier Head" another "The Car Park" Mann Island another to a shop next to mine that did not exist and my shop did not receive one. How strange. 

I thought that Peter de Figueiredo http://www.defigueiredo.co.uk/index.html who was English Heretics historic building advisor at the time has something to answer about so I wrote to the Heretics under the Freedom of Information act requesting all the documents to show how a reasonable decision could have been made with our world heritage site without public consultation. Something the toothless UNESCO would later confirm was undemocratic. 

Then by chance I stumbled across a strange bit of information that the then Chairman of English Heritage Sir Neil Cossons was working for Liverpool Museums…along with ex top knob at the Heretics bureau, Loyd Grossman who was then the chairman of NML…along with the then leader of the city council the now disgraced Mike Storey (who conveniently didn’t tell anyone, in fact it appeared to be a secret)…and the Chairman of the North West Development Agency, Bryan Gray who was to fund the museum by the sale of the land to build 3 huge blocks on the Mann Island site that they owned. They were in the plans but with transparent pen. http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpooldailypost/news/regionalnews/tm_headline=controversy-as-building-plans-set-to-go-ahead%26method=full%26objectid=17867193%26page=2%26siteid=50061-name_page.html Copy thereof 149. Declaration of Interest The Chairman invited Trustees present to indicate whether they had any conflicting or prejudicial interests within the items of business set out below. Not specific to any agenda items Mr Grossman advised that he may have conflicts of interest arising from his Deputy Chairmanship of the Liverpool Culture Company. Mr Gray advised that he may have conflicts arising from his Chairmanship of the North West Development Agency. Sir Neil Cossons advised the he may have conflicts of interest arising from his Chairmanship of English Heritage. Councillor Storey advised that he may have conflicts of interest arising from his role as Leader of Liverpool City Council. RESOLVED that the Board accepts that none of these possible interests give rise to undue conflict or could prejudice the proper transaction of the business of this meeting and the Trustees concerned should not therefore be expected to withdraw from the discussions. 150. Decisions of Trustees Permission to accept offer of £32,700,000 from the North West Development Agency RESOLVED that the Trustees accept offer of £32,700,000 from the North West Development Agency The list of conflicts of interest was immense one of NMLs trustees had even had a job done by 3XN the architects the strange occurrence that not a soul in Liverpool had heard of until the plans for the WHS had been approved. Despite the Conflicts of Interest, lets move on, and ignore them, they then decided. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/trusteesDotNet/meetings.aspx?tid=47 http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17112292%26method=full%26siteid=50061-name_page.html How can you have a then Chairman of English Heritage working for the very perpetrators of WHS disaster. It should not have been allowed? What the English Heritage series show is that if its convenient, it’s a stitch up right from the top down. Thurley denied there was any conflict of interests after I wrote to him. Well he would, wouldn't he. Current trustees http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/about/trustees/index.aspx 

  I hope this man who makes a fortune writing and talking about heritage can sleep at night.

Update 30.9.2021

Liverpool has now been stripped of its World Heritage Site Status.

GAZUMPING, GAZUNDERING…NOW ITS RENAGE-ING

Well Its all going belly up for Grosvenor-pools new luxury apartments ONE PARK GONE WEST on Chavasse Lawn at the World Heritage Site.
Liverpool's new eyesore.
Grosvenor’s agents said that 146 had been sold. By sold they meant they had taken a couple of hundred pounds deposit.
Our agents tell us otherwise.
Five Completions…yes Five. Well would you having agreed to a price of say £150,000 pay up, can you get a mortgage, when its worth 30% less.
So they have now put a housing association up to letting the space.
We did tell them at the planning committee meeting that the master-plan said 12 storeys and they greedily went for 17.

David "am I bovvered" Irving sitting in for Doreen Jones as Chairman because she knew the applicant..What. Where does she live? Is it that she and Trevor live on the Grosvenor estate in Pulford?
They promised us world class architecture..a Cesar Pelli and we got a Cesar Salad…and a empty one at that.