Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors Group.

Yes it is well deserved by the local rags. All the recent criticism, at the state of reporting and the way the Oldham Echo (nice term by Correspondent) http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/08/still-speaking-up-for-merseyside.html seems to be run by local business through their press companies such as Finch and October Communications. Larry Neild who was the City Editor of the Post and Echo, now works for October, and it would not be too unreasonable to assume that the reason that Jon Egan employed him is to use his contacts at his old paper. Last time I spoke to him he was working on the congestion charge debate in Manchester! Peel holdings had a big interest in the outcome of that vote owning Trafford Park. The local papers no longer appear to have journos in the old tradition, who do the true work that their profession requires. Instead Trinity "Smoking" Mirrors Group in Liverpool rely on the Council (partners with Peel) and the local communications companies to feed them with snippets that they often get wrong, see yesterdays Daily Post. Larry Neild was once given an award by Frank McKenna's Downtown Liverpool and his acceptance speech lasted 15 minutes he had all those local business people in stitches. I liked Larry when we were working quite closely on a thing that I knew he held dear to him, the impending disaster that was to befall the world heritage site. But ath the same time http://www.liverpoolpsda.co.uk/Press/PressCuttings/06-2006/pelli+tower.htm was he doing a job for Grosvener or was he misquoted? And look at the mess at Chavasse Lawn of what he promoted as a jewel in the crown. http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/wish-to-declare-interest-larry.html
It is alleged that the godson to the director of a national museum's offspring is quite high up in Trinity "Smoking" Mirror Group. Quite a lot of the local journos are moonlighting doing other jobs for other papers, glossy or not. Some owned by Trinty some not. Its all wheels within wheels.
I decided to post the article several weeks ago after I decided I cannot stand the style of the local papers anymore. Which began my criticism of the local rags with a lack of reportage that Peel had plans passed for a super-port at Salford, that the Oldham Echo and its Daily Ghost ignored. I questioned who paid for Mark Thomas's trip to Shanghai that he 'twittered' about.
Peel are sponsoring Shanghai 2010 along with Liverpool City Council. All we need now is Steve Hurst to be Liverpool's delegate on the stall and we will have a fete acompli.
I had boycotted buying the Post, well because its free, they give it away, but will not even look at the Echo, which is a bad paper in my opinion edited by........So I was bold enough to e-mail my complaints to both editors and the Daily Post business section giving an opinion as to the importance of Peels impending grasp and the threat to our local industry, complaining why it was not reported upon. Who are Peels press agents? It is my opinion they are getting preferential treatment by the press almost being suck holed to.
Fair enough weeks later an in depth article was done by Barry Turnbull. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-features/2009/08/05/is-new-manchester-port-a-threat-to-liverpool-92534-24317574/ In the same copy it showed an example of our fears manufacturing being moved to China and a piece about Princes Dock http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2009/08/05/peel-appoints-dtz-as-joint-agent-on-princes-dock-liverpool-92534-24317711/which they own. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2009/08/05/new-bibby-ship-sets-sail-from-shanghai-92534-24317570/ This delay will suit Peel holdings who are now saying that it will now be able to barge goods down the Manchester Ship Canal and turning it into a good news story by saying it will free up the the roads. Remember the seed was sown by Tesco with wine being barged down the canal.....who spun that one in.....as if, Tesco are going to use barges with consumables.
We will lose a lot of jobs in Liverpool as a result of this shift of the port to Salford and the Daily Peel should have been up to speed.....ahead of the event, not after it.
So is it the editing why we get the news late? Is it because the printing is now done in Oldham that we are getting the Daily Ghost 5 days late? Or is it the transport situation? Just wait till the snow comes in, and what about this preferential treatment of Peel?........then the penny dropped when I was sent this picture here it is the reason the news is late, its the new mode of transport for the local press, barging the paper down the Manchester Ship Canal from........Oldham.

Should Mark Thomas be Relieved from his Last Post.

The Editor of the Daily Ghost Writer Mark Thomas cant make up his mind. Do Dylan Harvey own Mann Island or don't they? Today's paper has an apology about the fact that they said Dylan Harvey residential was the company who owned Mann Island. It now says that it would like to make it clear that DHR, while part of the Dylan Harvey group which is involved with the sale of the Mann Island apartments, is not itself one of the developers or involved in any way. They also said that they would like to emphasise that the Mann Island project is not affected by the collapse of DHR. DO THEY OWN MANN ISLAND MR THOMAS HAVE YOU CHECKED THE LAND REGISTRY? Or do you take their word for it? The Manchester Evening News reported that the investors who have been left stranded could be swung over to Mann Island.....is that legal? Numerous warnings were posted on the Internet. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/dylan-harvey-developers-behind-mann.html
What are the local press going on about now. Are they at our local papers now ventriloquist dummies for the business community and is it coming to Mark Thomas's last post. Today is a grand reunion of one of the Daily Posts old editors and the current one click on link for the story and see Mark Thomas being handed over to the imperial war museum by the old Post editor Walter Huntley.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/06/wartime-dummy-owned-by-former-daily-post-editor-takes-his-place-in-history-92534-24328733/
So off they go with another good news story on how a crane has arrived to build the most ugly of the three sisters that we are paying with our taxpayers cash to bail out the project and Steve Parry of the arch vandals Neptune says "It is an indication the city's regeneration is continuing even in this difficult economic and commercial environment.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/06/crane-arrival-marks-next-phase-of-work-at-mann-island-92534-24328726/ So it must be alright, they say three quarters are reserved and they said that about Chavasse Park and look what happened there they have now dropped 25% in value and initially only six sold of the 146 claimed to have been 'reserved'.

Yes we are paying through the NWDA subsidies for our world heritage site to be obliterated and thats good news.
Would you invest a spare tenner in this development next to a giant Chimney..not me.

Listed Liverpool Pembroke Place Kosher butchers shop under threat

You know I have no sympathy for this bloke who has owned this property for years and has done nothing about it. He keeps waffling on about its importance. WHAT IS THE POINT in letting it rot Mr Ainsworth? You have had ample opportunity to get it restored, you have owned it for long enough. Its a Grade II listed building that Chris Griffiths the Council Buildings at risk officer and Ronnie Corbett at the conservation(sic)office should have used enforcement powers a long time ago.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/06/listed-liverpool-pembroke-place-kosher-butchers-shop-under-threat-92534-24329291/2/ The worst owners of listed buildings are those who do nothing about them then appear to hold the council and English Heritage to ransom.

pic courtesy of Daily Post

Mr Ainsworth hopes to restore Galkoff’s into a shop and a flat that he would live in. (Oh Yeah).
He wanted to buy number 31 himself and has complained to the Local Government Ombudsman about how the council chose to sell it to the school.
According to documents at Land Registry, the school paid £130,000 cash for 31 and 33 Pembroke Place on June 11. On October 1, 2008, it also took ownership of 35 Pembroke Place after paying £160,000 cash.

Dylan Harvey Residential goes Bango!!

What a shame it was not before they have contributed to blight of the world heritage site at Liverpools Pier Head.
Administrators CLB Coopers are putting a brave face on it and saying the Mann Island scheme is a different venture. http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=mann-island-deal-is-the-biggest-in-city-8217-s-history%26method=full%26objectid=20360597%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

The pathetic reporters in the local papers had already had the wool pulled over their eyes by the developers and they had told us that all apartments had been sold to Dylan Harvey. How little they know about business at the business section. Have Dylan Harvey and what associated company of theirs bought these apartments. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/dylan-harvey-developers-behind-mann.html
Dylan Harvey act as property brokers and as the LPT post of several weeks hence warned Liverpool investors to be very weary indeed of investing in the scheme next to the giant carbon monoxide chimney, the Mersey Tunnel Ventilating Shaft.

Urban Splash....Are They Drowning in Debt?

Our Architectural Saviours Urban Splash are now in talks with their bankers to ensure that it does not breach its banking covenants. They have promoted themselves as the darling boys of trendy heritage.....milking the public grant system.... in my opinion. I personally put a lot of time into saving the Littlewoods Building from demolition when I picked up a planning application to demolish it. They were supposed to have acquired it but it seems they have now abandoned the project. The same seems to be happening at the derelict Cinema in Lime Street used as a hoarding for 2008. What a mess they helped create along with those English Heretics at Park Hill in Sheffield. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/dr-simon-thurley-and-restoration-of.html They also have just recently completed the Midland Hotel in Morecambe. I had a private tour round the building with Bill Maynard and suggested I place an advertisment, in the Antique trade gazzette after the theft of a balustrade section with a seahorse upon it designed by Eric Gill. It was some months later at a live Radio Merseyside debate that Bill told me someone had walked on the site with it..no questions asked and gave it back. I was pleased "Right you can pay me for the advert now" I said, "Oh did we not pay you" he said sheepishly. "we will send you a cheque". There may be a few other schemes of theirs on hold while Tom Bloxham can well ride it out in his mad looking futuristic 1960s pile in the south of France.

Johnathan Falkingham who along with Tom Floxham founded the company. Falkingham is a trustee of National Museums Liverpool. Urban Splash did a competition scheme for the original museum competion for our Pier Head marketed by October Communications. The competition was for a Fourth (sic) Grace that architect madman of "Cloud" Cuckoo-land, Alsop won in a council stitch up, with the glass pie in the sky. They both then went on to do a sheme called "Cheep as Chips" together. Someone from Urban Spash said about Alsop. "He should be in an institution he is as mad as a hatter". http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/residential/chips-new-islington-manchester-by-alsop-architects/5202419.article

So Falkingham, eventually as part of NML along with the then Chairman of English Heritage, who turned a blind eye, managed to destroy the World Heritage Site anyhow with the museum that is funded by building those three black granite grotesques next to it, that Doreen Jones cast her vote as chair of planning committee to rubber stamp.

Splosh!!. Big Belly Flop!! Tools are now well and truly downed “The directors believe that based, upon dialogue with these lenders, it is unlikely that the banks would demand facilities to be repaid in the next 12 months and that those due for renewal will be satisfactorily renegotiated" Falkingham said. In the year to 31 March 2008, pre-tax profits ballooned 58% to £4.9 million on turnover up 9% to £62.1 million.

Yes and most of that was because they had learnt how to milk more money from the public purse.

When the going gets tough Urban Splash get going.

LiverPeeled in Front of our Noses

Peel are to have the plans for Wirral Waters rubber stamped this week.


Liverpool's City Council have, forever been partners with Peel Holdings in amongst other things, the development of the Liverpool John Lennon Airport in Speke ...Above us only pollution.
It is granted that this brings a lot of tourists in to Liverpool... and just as many out.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/03/first-council-approvals-for-4bn-wirral-waters-92534-24300431/
What is alarming again is the failure of the so called local press to put two related stories together, along with the new tram spin http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/03/tram-link-bid-for-liverpool-airport-92534-24300789/ and stir up debate about the recessional effect that a lot of us have witnessed before in Liverpool, instead of how wonderful Peel are. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/03/population-of-liverpool-may-stagnate-due-to-council-s-budget-black-hole-92534-24300791/ The sums just don't add up. You cant go on binge building without, at some time waking up with a massive hangover. PEEL ARE THE NEW DAWN WE ARE BEING TOLD by the papers YET THEY HAVE BY-PASSED LIVERPOOL'S PORT. (Oh, and the local papers have sent a load of printing jobs to Oldham). Now they, Peel are developing the Wirral, in direct competition to their promised plans for Liverpool. They promised us a new port facility. until Salford plans were passed and then scrapped the plans. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2009/07/29/peel-s-100m-port-plan-halted-by-recession-92534-24262362/ We have had all the hot air from Mark Thommo and his Business editors Gleeson and McDonut at the Daily Ghost but when are they REALLY going to start looking into the need to create real jobs not dippy here today gone tommorrow, shop jobs http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/07/31/liverpool-among-worst-cities-for-empty-shops-92534-24282569/that rely on people pigging out on retail therapy. We need engineering and industrial jobs that last. So we can train apprentices and compete for the future. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-daily-post-and-echo-mouthpiece-for.html YOU CANT CREATE JOBS WHEN YOUR PORT IS BEING CIRCUMNAVIGATED.
WHEN, and why DO THE LOCAL PRESS IN THEIR VAIN ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE WRITING ABOUT EXASPERATE THE TRUE SITUATION? It is not what they do tell, its what they don't that bothers me.
http://condensedthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/every-so-often-cold-blast-of-economic.html

I will leave it to Mr Correspondent to do a little bit of explaining about the retail situation just as we have flooded the market with Grosvenor-pool.

Is the Daily Post and Echo a Mouthpiece for Peel Holdings

I posted a article two weeks ago about the impending disaster for Liverpool's Industry as Peel Holdings had a planning application rubber stamped for a 400 million pound new port at the end of the Manchester Ship Canal.

I also expressed great concern about the relationship with the developer and the Daily Peel who did not think it news enough to explore.

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/liverpeel.html So why couldn't the local papers put a inquisitive slant on this and not explore further, and why?

pic of new port courtesy Manchester Evening News you can see how the expansion of industry can be facilitated...at the cost of Liverpool.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/business-local/2009/07/29/peel-s-100m-port-plan-halted-by-recession-92534-24262362/ I cant find anything other than a disaster for Liverpool about this new enterprise zone being created in Salford.

SOLD DOWN THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL MORE LIKE.

So it is with great suprise that the Ghost reports it in spin that overrides the full situation and the gravitas of the facts and believes what it is told by Peel and makes a balanced argument out of something that cannot be reported as such.

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/07/liver-peel-conflicts-of-interest-begin.html

I would be interested to know who exactly paid for Mark Thomas the Ghost Editor to travel to Shanghai.