Damon is alive!

hairy j wrote:

The truck in that picture looks like a terrible photoshop.

and the digger doesnt? I thought for 5 mins work it was all right, even remember to move the bloke with the carrier bag and everything, bleddy geeks spoling my fun!  

The "Upper" part of town is for people who prefer to shop down market in Primart. The bottom end of town is for a more discerning customer.

No, the bottom is full of skanks and chavs.

Is that why you worked there? What a snobby outlook on people you have. People are just that, people to me. We all get born with nothing and die the same way. Even the Queen has to shit.

Greenjock wrote:

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

Angry he was doing a charity parachute jump and newell was questioning if he had done it.

He was more than questioning it, although it was his slimy companion Jameson who stuck the knife in first, he went as far as checking with Just Giving!

Whadda Guy.

Thankyou you two i wondered what was going on when people where bringing up damon.

Mrrapson wrote:

hairy j wrote:

The truck in that picture looks like a terrible photoshop.

and the digger doesnt? I thought for 5 mins work it was all right, even remember to move the bloke with the carrier bag and everything, bleddy geeks spoling my fun!  

The digger is ok but the truck wouldn't even fit there;the colour pallette is atrocious too. You jumped the shark. The digger would have had associated cordons and barriers and other workmen (sorry, work people) around it.

I walk around the city centre most weekdays at lunchtime and it's quite depressing to venture down there but there are some good indie shops. Something needs to be done with the Derrys building and the former Littlewoods site though.

Derry's is having an awful lot of work done on it at the moment, hopefully with view of someone going in there, the rents have been cut but the rates are massive.

Tj Hughes building in my mind is perfect something family friendly, a jump kind of of facility or an indoor skatepark and cafe, it would bring families to the bottom end of town and help organic footfall. It's a massive building, just wish I had the kind of money needed to put it to good use!

Mrrapson wrote:

Derry's is having an awful lot of work done on it at the moment, hopefully with view of someone going in there, the rents have been cut but the rates are massive.

Tj Hughes building in my mind is perfect something family friendly, a jump kind of of facility or an indoor skatepark and cafe, it would bring families to the bottom end of town and help organic footfall. It's a massive building, just wish I had the kind of money needed to put it to good use!

Even an Ice Rink?????

Too late to see the light when it's a friggin freight train Wile E.

I've rink wouldn't have worked there. I've always been an advocate for better facilities and shops in the west end. If I was a visitor I wouldn't want to go down there and that's from someone who owns a business down there!

It needs help, the businesses are willing but the council are not.

Angry wrote:

Greenjock wrote:

mouldyoldgoat wrote:

Angry he was doing a charity parachute jump and newell was questioning if he had done it.

He was more than questioning it, although it was his slimy companion Jameson who stuck the knife in first, he went as far as checking with Just Giving!

Whadda Guy.

Thankyou you two i wondered what was going on when people where bringing up damon.

Lee Jameson wrote:

Did you ever do this Damon?

Newell wrote:

I've just checked with Just Giving, without mentioning any names etc.

No matter what happened on this one, the money gets paid into the charity on a monthly basis.

Nothing is kept in cyber space, nothing goes to any individual, ALL the money DOES go the charity.

Good to hear, what a shame Damon didn't think fit to explain what happened.

Bearing in mind Newell's previous assertions that Damon is not a fit and proper person to be on the PASB due to his previous financial difficulties then it is clear what he is inferring here. Nasty.

Then Herb owned the pair of them:

Herb wrote:

"Tha Jus Givun, sut?"

"Yes. How can I help you, erm, Sir?"

"Sumus ped sum munyee. Uz idn't sher wevver'sis gun t'sed chardee urnut. Ken yu ashure me flock tha' iz bin ped, innum?"

"I haven't got a f*****g clue what you're talking about, pal, but if you mean "Does all the pledged money reach the chosen charity and why are you snooping around when it wasn't you who fell out of a plane, then the answer is "Yes.""

"Um. Furgut the kwestchun."

Sensiblegreeny wrote:

Is that why you worked there?    What a snobby outlook on people you have.    People are just that, people to me.   We all get born with nothing and die the same way.    Even the Queen has to shit.

Maybe, but I bet it smells of roses.

Mrrapson wrote:

I've rink wouldn't have worked there. I've always been an advocate for better facilities and shops in the west end. If I was a visitor I wouldn't want to go down there and that's from someone who owns a business down there!

It needs help, the businesses are willing but the council are not.

Why not? I thought the vision for the lower part of town was to get people living there and have attractions at night so the town doesn't die at 5pm?

Iggy wrote:

Mrrapson wrote:

I've rink wouldn't have worked there. I've always been an advocate for better facilities and shops in the west end. If I was a visitor I wouldn't want to go down there and that's from someone who owns a business down there!

It needs help, the businesses are willing but the council are not.

Why not? I thought the vision for the lower part of town was to get people living there and have  attractions at night so the town doesn't die at 5pm?

You're confusing the 2020 Vision of Plymouth set out by David Mackay with the half hearted reality being delivered by those who sat on the Plymouth City Centre Company from 2008. This was done with much clarity from Graham Clark back in the day

Stuart_C wrote:

Graham Clark wrote:

ejh wrote:

JonB wrote:

I don't really read these threads any more, but was sucked into this one given its title may just have produced a different series of postings..... but hey ho.

Anyway, am I reading the above correctly?  Is it now being genuinely stated that James Brent was offered a better deal from the council - if he bought the club - than any other prospective owner?

Apart from the fact that this would be entirely unlawful, why would the council do this?

Every regeneration scheme in the city is/was up for (fully scrutinised) bidding; as was the purchase of Argyle.  Bidding & tendering in the public sector is painfully transparent.

Every prospective purchaser of Argyle had the same opportunity to put their rescue plans forward to the council; that no-one else did says an awful lot about the quality of the other people circulating & their resources....

I have read an interview from the past where James Brent stated he knew nothing about Argyle until the Council approached him, as opposed to the other way around.

They asked him as a developer they were working with on the Millbay area to save the club, and some development agenda was struck whereby we are seeing the ice rink, cinema and grandstand redevelopment deal in return for access to develop on all the land at 'Higher Home Park'.

This is my understanding of it - he was always Plymouth City Council's man.

PL2, Stu C and Graham Clark might be able to fill in more details and correct any perceived errors.

Perhaps I can add some substance from what I know and I have not commented in such detail before..

James Brent became Chairman of the Plymouth City Development Company in early 2008 which was an inward investment company supported by the City Council. His involvement with both sides of the political divide started back then. In late 2010 the Council asked him if he could assist with Plymouth Argyle. By then Keith Todd was promoting his ill fated and unsupported development plans for Home Park and the City owned land around it. I understand that James Brent did meet Keith Todd in late 2010 and determined that with an unfunded wage bill of around £500,000 per month the club was in deep financial trouble.  In December 2010 the World Cup bid was unsuccessful and the football club was facing the first of its HMRC winding up petitions. By March 2011 the club was in administration and Ridsdale and Guilfoyle had their hands fully on the tiller.

As administrator Guilfoyle marketed the club but the land allocated for development at Higher Home Park was hamstrung by covenants as part of the original freehold purchase deal that meant the Council was entitled to half the uplift in value of the site. Effectively, in a stressed financial climate this meant that any development deal to assist in financing the future of the football club would require the full assistance of the City Council to implement any alternatives

As Chair of the ISC of the Trust at the time, the Secretary (Peter Ryan) and I had a meeting with the Council Leader, Vivien Pergelly. She confirmed that the Council were in advanced talks with someone who was interested in saving the club. She refused to name the person but asked that if that person was the only person to came forward would the Trust back the Council's attempts to rescue the club. We agreed in principle to do that hence the ISC's support for James Brent, as ONE of the 'bidders' when his interest was declared by Guilfoyle. We knew nothing of his arrangements or agreements with the Council other than the Council's support in principle. There was an expectation that James Brent would be the successful bidder until on the eve of the CVA meeting in May 2011 but he was told by Guilfoyle that he was turning to another bidder who paid for exclusivity. As we know now that was Heaney backed, it is believed, by Abe and Kagami (It was acknowledged off the record that the money was paid from Japan).

By June 2011 it is clear to me and others that the Heaney bid was in difficulties. I, together with Chris Webb and Peter Jones, suggested that a Plan B should formulated. A meeting was held at the Council Offices at which a Contingency Group was formed. At the inaugural meeting were the Council Leader, Vivien Pengelly and James Brent. This is all a matter of record. It was clear to all present that the Council Leader would do all within her power to save the club. None of the Contingency Group had any knowledge about the extent and nature of the discussions between the Council and James Brent.

Guilfoyle, some may recall, publicly ridiculed the Contingency Group and their failure, in his view, to understand what was needed to save the club. Not least the ability to deal with the outstanding mortgage with Lombard which was a major impediment to all interested parties as was the development potential of the HHP land which had restricted covenants in favour of the Council (including the 50% uplift clause).

To save the club, after Guilfoyle suggested it was not possible to achieve,, it was necessary to get 300 signatories to do the Football Creditors deal, get the Football League's agreement to a 5 year repayment plan and get the City Council on board. A failure on any one of those elements within the period of one month given to the new preferred bidder, James Brent, would have meant a failure to save the club. Ax we know the City Council agreed to purchase the football ground, agreed to release the covenants on the land, Lombatd agreed a deal with James Brent that Guilfoyle thought was impossible, the Football League agreed to a ground breaking 5 year repayment plan and James Brent's legal team achieved was was though was impossible all 300 Football creditorsignatories (all I think it was actually 299 as one was still in prison).

All in all it was a remarkable achievement, that was in my personal view, beyond the capabilities of any other bidder within the one month timescale. Much has been made of James Brent's achievements but again, in my view, much more should have been made of the Council Leader's, Vivien Pengelly's determination to save the club ably supported by her Executive officers' ability to implement her wishes. The agreements with James Brent was we know were unanimously supported by the Council Cabinet and ultimately by the Full Council to enable the club to be purchased by the then Green Pilgrim Ltd. and the club to be saved.

These are the facts as I know them. subsequently, as we know it Akkeron won the rights to redevelop and regenerate the Pavilions and adjoining Millbay land as part of a competitive tender, last year, and under a City Council that was in the control of a different political group, Labour, to that had played a lead role in saving the club in the autumn of 2011. Part of that agreement was a requirement to deliver an ice rink on another site within the City which had led to the submission of a planning application at Higher Home Park with an ice rink within it.

I hope that this  non emotive contribution, based on the facts as I know and understand them, assists in a greater understanding of the City Council's role in saving the football club which, I believe, has often gone unstated and unappreciated.

James Brent's Chair of the Plymouth City Development Company came to an end with it's closure in 2011.

He does of course sit on Destination Plymouth board alongside Cllr Tudor Evans.

The PCC Blue Sail document that states the groups' aims as

Quote :

Created in 2010 Destination Plymouth is responsible for driving the Visitor Economy. Its unique model brings together the City’s 2 Business Improvements Districts under a single umbrella to drive visitors into the City centre and Waterfront

Quote :

Abercrombie’s vision for the rebuilding of city in the 20th century has given it a distinctive layout and character and is part of the story Plymouth has to tell. Effective linkages by foot to and from other areas of the city are important to encourage visitors to experience the full character of the city within which the centre sits.
For the visitor it is important that the centre develops a more diverse offer including more leisure, cultural and evening uses. The streetscape provides excellent opportunities for events and year round animation. The university, the art college and the theatre sit in the centre of the city and are all important to its cultural life.

Strange that two leading lights on this steering group are hellbent on shoehorning an oversized leisure development onto HHP when the West End of City Centre with boarded up shops (unlikely to reopen) including Woolworths, TJ Hughes and Derry's is crying out for an anchor development.

This is the same Plymouth 2020 Vision that David Mackay had in 2003. You can still read the original truly inspiring documents which have become so watered down from

http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/vision

BTW Damon is alive and was looking well and very dapper at the Greens on Big Screen event last night

I'm glad that's cleared up then, Brent getting the other contracts was purely coincidental  

Well have to bump this thread in ten years time and see how the grand vision for Plymouth is progressing.

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

Czarcasm wrote:

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

It would indeed but I reckon he's been scared off or something because there's been no flounce or explanation just no more posting.

Greenjock wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

It would indeed but I reckon he's been scared off or something because there's been no flounce or explanation just no more posting.

Hmmm, Damon doesn't strike me as someone who'd be easily bullied in to not posting. Though I agree something may have been said to him to persuade him to lie low for a while.

Czarcasm wrote:

Greenjock wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

It would indeed but I reckon he's been scared off or something because there's been no flounce or explanation just no more posting.

Hmmm, Damon doesn't strike me as someone who'd be easily bullied in to not posting. Though I agree something may have been said to him to persuade him to lie low for a while.

I was surprised to see two people who have been antagonising each other for a pass time sitting next to each other throughout last night's film when there were other spare seats, but don't think Damon has had the comfy chair treatment yet.

green_genie wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Greenjock wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

It would indeed but I reckon he's been scared off or something because there's been no flounce or explanation just no more posting.

Hmmm, Damon doesn't strike me as someone who'd be easily bullied in to not posting. Though I agree something may have been said to him to persuade him to lie low for a while.

I was surprised to see two people who have been antagonising each other for a pass time sitting next to each other throughout last night's film when there were other spare seats, but don't think Damon has had the comfy chair treatment yet.

Go on......Jock and Jameson  

Rickler and Hairy  

Pokesdown wrote:

green_genie wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Greenjock wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Would be good to have Damon back posting his thoughts and opinions again here on ATD.

It would indeed but I reckon he's been scared off or something because there's been no flounce or explanation just no more posting.

Hmmm, Damon doesn't strike me as someone who'd be easily bullied in to not posting. Though I agree something may have been said to him to persuade him to lie low for a while.

I was surprised to see two people who have been antagonising each other for a pass time sitting next to each other throughout last night's film when there were other spare seats, but don't think Damon has had the comfy chair treatment yet.

Go on......Jock and Jameson  

Rickler and Hairy  

I just held his hand at the scary bits  

I'm making assumptions here, but if Damon and Newell have made some sort of truce, then the only person that truly benefits from Damon not asking the awkward questions any more, is our beloved Reluctant Bidder.

 

Czarcasm wrote:

I'm making assumptions here, but if Damon and Newell have made some sort of truce, then the only person that truly benefits from Damon not asking the awkward questions any more, is our beloved Reluctant Bidder.

 

Maybe Damon has been offered a key position in the new regime, in exchange for being silent?
Hes gone to the dark side 

Czarcasm wrote:

I'm making assumptions here, but if Damon and Newell have made some sort of truce, then the only person that truly benefits from Damon not asking the awkward questions any more, is our beloved Reluctant Bidder.

 

If they have then Damon's lost the plot after all the shit that fat cnut threw at Damon.

Damon for me would've been quite within his rights to chin the wanker on more than one occasion and I still cling to the hope that he will knock Porky on his ass at a fansfest and it's all captured on film and uploaded to Youtube, and Flickr of course