Brent preferred bidder to buy civic centre

Aforementioned t-shirt

The Holiday Inn, a few hundred yards from the Civic Centre is a 4 star hotel, so any conversion of the Civic Centre will see these two directly vying for trade.

I actually agree that if the building has to be listed, then it's a good idea to spruce it up. Although making it more aesthetically pleasing will be difficult due to the fact that its how the building looks that has resulted in it getting listed in the first place!

green_genie wrote:

Angry wrote:

I thought the civic Centre was a listed building anyway? It is an eye sore and should be demolished but if its protected wont that cause a tiny problem?

They don't intend to demolish it. Refurbing main building and build another over an underground car park on the current car park.

what is to be built over the car-park and what hotel to be in the main building?

Yea Man wrote:

It'd be funny if this hotel takes trade away from the HHP hotel.

Not sure that will matter too much as it won't be an Akkeron hotel will it? I thought it was going to be sold, or rented, to another hotel group? I suppose if it's rented to another hotel group then it will matter if nobody is using it though.

cornysteve wrote:

Saw this on Breakfast news this morning. They had a brief interview with some bloke that I can only assume works for Plymouth council. These aren't verbatim quotes, but it was along the lines of, "Plymouth is so lucky to have a man like JB willing to invest. He's a national, nay international businessman and he's so brilliant. I personally would like to hug him and squeeze him etc etc etc."

Despite my mocking, it was cringeworthy beyond belief. Frankly it looked like he'd witnessed the second coming. (insert your own jokes there). This happening four days after the perfectly legal and upstanding planning meeting that wasn't a fait accompli before it started puzzles me. It was almost as if, and others may have noticed it before, the HHP development was the leverage that opened up the gates for the rest of a massive, lets call it £150m+ or so, development portfolio. Clearly this must be a coincidence. I look forward to the planning meeting for the civic centre, 'I'd like to state that this development that will make me no profit whatsoever, as that is not what philanthropists like me are interested in, is all about making the civic centre a bwilliant bwilliant place to work for the wonderful council workers.'

Steve

I saw that interview as well - I think the guy is from the Local Development Agency or some such Quango. He fits in very well with the Janner mentality of some many people in the area- and JB is going to milk that mentality for all he can

No jokes needed about the second coming, more likely Brent saw us (the people of Plymouth) coming and has manipulated us all along. Brent reminds me of the guy in the Monorail episode of the Simpsons (yeah, very highbrow level of debate here) who spotted a bunch of suckers and sold them something that wasn't needed and didn't work anyway.

He's working from a very obvious script:

There's a hick town in the Westcountry where the local council can't tell their arses from their elbows & they have loads of real estate that they don't know the value of. I'll smoozy up to them, wear an expensive suit and talk about how I'm an international financier with a heart of gold. Be great if I could do something for them that won't cost anything, but'll make me look real good. Bingo, the local football Club's in the shit AND it's in the middle of the biggest open space for miles around AND there's a guy after it who's even more dodgy than me, so I'll look like the good guy -Gosh, there really is a God! I'll get a few local schmucks to think I've suddenly fallen in love with their football club (is that the round ball or the funny shaped one?) and just want to save their football team so they'll scare off the people who really want to help the football club. Then I'll tell the council that if they put up the money to buy the bits that can't be built on (sorry stadium), I'll buy the rest (with the money they give me for the stadium bit ha-ha)

if I can get them to swallow that, they'll swallow anything- they'll probably end up asking me to buy any bits of property I want without even asking anyone else to make an offer.

I may not be able to fool all of the people all of the time, but I can fool enough of them to make me a fortune-kerrching!!

Dougie wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Aforementioned t-shirt

That T-shirt rocks Dougers. Hell yeh.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

got to be careful not to land on a brent owned property in future, the rent will take you out of the game if you dont have your £200

Good use being put to an outdated, crumbling, listed building. No matter how much I objected to the HHP development this has got to be taken on its merits - and amongst its merits is that it takes it off the hands of the council & potentially adds to the regeneration of the city centre. I've been told that part of the development will be a 4-star hotel, part will be new apartments. Apparently there will be some of it attached to the Theatre Royal. Everyone's a winner! What's to complain about?

If anyone still wants to make jibes about the man's not a philanthropist - surely that myth was put to bed a long time ago. What's the point in prolonging it? Personally, I would like to see very rich people building affordable housing, redeveloping run down communities and investing in sustainable manufacturing but I won't be holding my breath.

If anyone has any sound evidence of dodgy deals behind the scenes that evidence needs to be shared with the relevant authorities.

Excellent comment on the Erole site:

PL2IsABigHotel wrote:

A warning for anyone that isn't all that happy about this, you are likely to be subjected to a smear campaign, have visits from thugs, have investigators spy on you and Tudor Evans will call you silly names in a child like manner and, the local media (herald) will side with the big spenders in screwing the tax payers.

This is quite interesting, though:

PlymptonLad wrote:

For those Brent supporters wearing green tinted spectacles here are some REAL FACTS:-
1. Resurgam (West End) Ltd = Inc. Date: 19 Apr 2013 Annual Returns: Unknown
Annual Accounts: Unknown
2. The AKkeron Group is not a PLC, it's not even a private limited company. In fact it's not even a company. It's a limited partnership meaning it does not have to publish a set of accounts. The only financial information confirmed by companies' house is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
3. Official records indicate the only cash available to Brent's Akkeron group is less than £14,000 despite Tudor Evans giving him £2 million of tax payers' money to redevelop the Pavilions almost 2 years ago.
4. There has been no redevelopment of the Pavilions to date.
5. There has been no redevelopment of Home Park - not even temporary seating for its mayflower stand.
For Christ's sake will someone call a public enquiry into the shenanigans of this at best naive council.

See comment above - info I got from a source that usually appears to have inside info .....

Arts Centre perhaps attached to Theatre Royal.....

knecht wrote:

If anyone has any sound evidence of dodgy deals behind the scenes that evidence needs to be shared with the relevant authorities.

Has anyone since T.Dan done time for the ilk?

These feckers are too clever to get caught by the scuffers or the CPS, don't forget the Pig was once a scyffer so the bar must be lying on the ground. They and all the local guv wankers involved are bent in one way or another.

Scuse my ignorance as I'm a simple chap at heart, but what does a 4 star hotel provide?

Han Solos Other Ship wrote:

Scuse my ignorance as I'm a simple chap at heart, but what does a 4 star hotel provide?

Porter for your bags 24 hours, room service.

pepsipete wrote:

Han Solos Other Ship wrote:

Scuse my ignorance as I'm a simple chap at heart, but what does a 4 star hotel provide?

Porter for your bags 24 hours, room service.

Any extras for the lonely business man? 

I don't have a problem with this, I think it will be good for the City. What I do have a problem with is PCC doing business with a character that has friendships and associations with unsavory hooligans that carry out underhand dealings on behalf of James Brent.

Something needs to be done about it and it needs to be investigated at a higher level than PCC.

Person Of Interest wrote:

pepsipete wrote:

Han Solos Other Ship wrote:

Scuse my ignorance as I'm a simple chap at heart, but what does a 4 star hotel provide?

Porter for your bags 24 hours, room service.

Any extras for the lonely business man?:tongue: 

Yes, free wi-fi.

Person Of Interest wrote:

pepsipete wrote:

Han Solos Other Ship wrote:

Scuse my ignorance as I'm a simple chap at heart, but what does a 4 star hotel provide?

Porter for your bags 24 hours, room service.

Any extras for the lonely business man? 

Gobling Teasmaid  

I'd prefer a gobbling housemaid!  

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

I'd prefer a gobbling housemaid!  

That's not what I heard!


Robert Newman, 23, admitted abusing the animal in rural Wiltshire

 

A man who had sex with a goat has been banned from every farm in the country in a bid to protect the animals.

Robert Newman initially denied having intercourse with the goat at a farm in Wiltshire in April.

But the 23-year-old changed his plea to guilty at North West Wiltshire Magistrates Court in Chippenham yesterday.

He had been due to stand trial for the offence but changed his plea to guilty and will be sentenced on September 12, after a pre-sentence report has been prepared.

Newman, of Devizes, Wilts, was ordered to keep away from farmyard animals and stay indoors between 7am and 7pm.

Last week an American man was charged with six counts of crimes against nature and one count of cruelty to an animal after repeatedly having sex with a cat.

Ryan Tannenholtz
Bubblegum Husky: Ryan Tannenholtz regularly had sex with his cat
Ada County Sheriff's Office
Ryan Havens Tannenholz, 28, of Idaho, enjoyed dressing up as a dog called called Bubblegum Husky before sexually abusing the cat.

And a year ago a dad-of-three from Gloucestershire walked free from court after being convicted of having sex with his ex-wife’s dog.

Nicholas Saunders, 46, was caught having intercourse with a four-year-old bull mastiff called Sasha in former wife Kelly Thacker’s bed.

knecht wrote:

See comment above - info I got from a source that usually appears to have inside info .....

Arts Centre perhaps attached to Theatre Royal.....

NEW ARTS CENTRE AS PART OF PROPOSAL

AS PART of the Civic Centre development, Plymouth Arts Centre will get a new home facing Royal Parade.

The three-storey building will be built on the existing open-air car park behind the Civic Centre, and linked to the new hotel through an elevated walkway.

It will have three restaurants on the ground floor, galleries and exhibition space, and two small cinemas.

The new arts centre will depend on winning a funding bid put together by the developer.

Andrew Brewerton, chair of Plymouth Arts Centre, said: “People visited the British Art Show in 2011 in their thousands, and the arts are at the centre of education and community transformation in our city.

“A new venue for Plymouth Arts Centre will develop and attract new work of national and international significance, bringing more visitors to the city from far and wide.

“It’s good news for our cultural economy and for Plymouth.”

Kate Foster, head of communications and development, said: “We will certainly have to raise some sums of money from various sources, including the Arts Council.

“We will also be looking at a public appeal.

“We have been in discussion with Akkeron about Plymouth Arts Centre being part of the redevelopment of the Civic Centre for some time.

“For us, this would mean bigger and better spaces for contemporary art and cinema.

“For Plymouth it is a really exciting time at present with the redevelopment of the Theatre Royal, and the new School of the Creative Arts.

“The redevelopment picks up the legacy of the 2011 British Arts Show.

“Added together we are looking at a substantial, exciting transformation of the city.”

James Brent, the developer, said the Arts Centre would depend on grant funding.

“Until we’ve applied we won’t know for sure what the answer is.”

His proposals will see the Civic Centre extended along the line of Royal Parade in line with the original Stirling design, and Mr Brent said: “We will definitely go ahead with that.

“The Arts Centre will form part of that.

“It will create a lovely piazza and cultural centre.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That six new restaurants in that area,
Civic Centre will have two,
Three restaurants in the Art Centre and A new in-large one in the Theatre Royal

This is against the fall in diners in other of Plymouth's most famous and longstanding independent restaurants say they are struggling for survival – blaming various factors including the influx of chains to the city particularly at the Royal William Yard.

The Herald was invited to an emergency meeting of businesses following this month's closure of Edmond Davari's four Sutton Harbour restaurants, and Veneziana in Old Town Street.

The independents, drawn from across the city, said they have been adversely affected by a culinary explosion which has seen numerous restaurants open.

But while restaurateurs stressed they are unafraid of competition, and have "upped their game" to compete, they said the influx of chains, which enjoy economies of scale unavailable to small operators, has had an affect.

And they said that with several chains – including Le Bistrot Pierre, Seco Lounge, Prezzo, Wagamama, Las Iguanas and River Cottage Canteen Deli – opting for RWY, it has "sucked" custom away from the rest of the city.

The independents, who are looking at setting up a trade association and calling for a "champion" to represent them, are also claiming a lack of assistance on issues such as rents, business rates and car parking fees. They have also been affected by economic factors including the temporary closure of the Theatre Royal for its revamp.

But they stressed independents buy local, employ city workers and pump takings back into Plymouth, and urged city folk not to forget the independent outlets – and to give them support.

Among businesses represented at the meeting were Morgans Italian Mediterranean, Lorenzo's, the Steak and Omelette, Bistro One, Artillery Tower, Pasta and Pizza Bar, Barbican Pasta Bar, JD's Grill, and The Mission. Mr Davari was present too.

Alex Psaras, of The Steak and Omelette, said: "We are all struggling. RWY has affected a lot of people. They have driven (business) away from the city centre. It's a ghost town, that's what frightens us. If these chains were in the city centre it would have helped us."

Tony Wainwright, of Lorenzo's, said: "It's not benefiting the economy locally."

Mr Davari added: "The money they take goes out of town."

Justin Meavey, of JD's Grill, said the RWY had become a fashionable destination for diners, but added: "You can't have a culture bid if the city loses its independents."

Artillery Tower's Peter Constable said: "There are too many restaurants – full stop. There's 20,000 restaurant seats, that's 40,000 a day to fill, lunch and dinner."restaurants

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Just get on and build it.

Peggy * wrote:

Excellent comment on the Erole site:

PL2IsABigHotel wrote:

A warning for anyone that isn't all that happy about this, you are likely to be subjected to a smear campaign, have visits from thugs, have investigators spy on you and Tudor Evans will call you silly names in a child like manner and, the local media (herald) will side with the big spenders in screwing the tax payers.

This is quite interesting, though:

PlymptonLad wrote:

For those Brent supporters wearing green tinted spectacles here are some REAL FACTS:-
1. Resurgam (West End) Ltd = Inc. Date: 19 Apr 2013 Annual Returns: Unknown
Annual Accounts: Unknown
2. The AKkeron Group is not a PLC, it's not even a private limited company. In fact it's not even a company. It's a limited partnership meaning it does not have to publish a set of accounts. The only financial information confirmed by companies' house is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
3. Official records indicate the only cash available to Brent's Akkeron group is less than £14,000 despite Tudor Evans giving him £2 million of tax payers' money to redevelop the Pavilions almost 2 years ago.
4. There has been no redevelopment of the Pavilions to date.
5. There has been no redevelopment of Home Park - not even temporary seating for its mayflower stand.
For Christ's sake will someone call a public enquiry into the shenanigans of this at best naive council.

 

I reckon that when Akkeron goes bust it will be feckin stupendous. Half of these big developers have no cash of their own, borrowing against assets that are already pledged against another venture, the domino effect waiting to happen. The resources needed to deliver development on this scale would stretch an already established national developer, where is Brent's CV on this scale of project?
#accidentwaitingtohappen

Cllr Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "We will continue to look at ways we can attract people into the city centre."


Was he on Planning Committee? If it wasn't so tragic it would be laughable.

Wonder what the REAL fans will make of Brent cosying up to #educatedwankers