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WALTHAMSTOW: Arcade site plan 'would break EU rules' (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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WALTHAMSTOW: Arcade site plan 'would break EU rules'
8:40am Saturday 25th April 2009
THE council's controversial plan to bail out the Arcade site development with taxpayers' money would break European Union rules if implemented, it has emerged.
In what appears to be further embarrassment for the authority, campaigners pointed out the error days before the final plan was due to be approved by cabinet, it is claimed.
Leading councillors are said to be fuming at the apparent gaffe, which will further delay development of the site in central Walthamstow.
The site was cleared nine years ago, during which time a number of privately-financed schemes have fallen through - much to the dismay of local residents.
The authority announced it would finance the development with £35 million of public money when developer St Modwen pulled out of funding the scheme.
The company was due to be retained as a designer and paid £500,000 for its services.
But the project now falls under European Union public sector procurement rules, which means the design contract must be put out to tender in order to guarantee value for money for taxpayers.
The latest development means work on the site is unlikely to begin before next May’s council elections.
It remains to be seen whether the council’s current plan, which would see a swimming pool relocated from Walthamstow’s Pool and Track, will survive the latest setback.
Fight the Height campaign group has been fighting plans for a 18-storey block on the site and claims to have drawn the potential breach of the rules to the council’s attention.
Co-ordinator Caramel Quin insists council officers initially did not seem to care that the council was breaking the rules.
She said: "But local residents care about the tower block threatening to overshadow the market, they care about a pie-in-the-sky cinema plan derailing efforts to save the EMD and they care about a rushed-through plan to use tens of millions of their money to expensively relocate a pool, but leave a track behind."
The council's bail-out plan was opposed by the Conservative group as well as Labour's coalition Lib Dems partners, splitting the cabinet.
Both parties insist there should have been more information and scrutiny before committing £35m of taxpayers' money to the scheme.
The Labour group rejected recommendations from the scrutiny committee that there should be a full financial appraisal and feasibility study of the scheme.
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Your Say Your Guardian
Heartly, CHINGFORD says...
12:18pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Why not create a hardstanding with some permanent outlets around the perimeter and create a specialised shopping experience that would attract people from miles around, a sort of outlet village, that would spill over into the market.
Techno2, Walthamstow says...
12:24pm Sat 25 Apr 09
RC Badrinath, Executive Director £118,679
Christopher Kiernan, Executive Director £121,546- £131,024 (7.8% rise)
Martin Esom, Executive Director £115,134-£130,964 (13.7%)
Margaret Konigsberg, Executive Director £116,225- £130,891 (12.6%)
Ian O’Donnell, Director of Finance £103,190-£123,071 (19.3%)
Ian Goldsworthy, Head of Support Services - £118,201
Satish Mistry, Head of Legal & Democratic £106,248- £115,362 (8.6%)
Janet Wickham, Director of People, Policy & Performance £104,154-£113,322 (8.8%)
Market walker, Walthamstow says...
1:43pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Seriously, I would suggest a 6 month period during which all plans for the Arcade site are destroyed and no new ones put forward, in the hope that after 6 months someone, probably not on the council right now, comes up with something better than this rubbish.
mdj, e10 says...
2:38pm Sat 25 Apr 09
What stands out about this council is not any particular policy, because in a democracy nobody gets exactly what they want, which is fine; it's the open contempt of officials, even more than Councillors, for the rules and procedures they're supposed to follow. Some are cynics, who think we're too dumb to work out what's right, others seem genuinely to think: 'We're in power, so what we do is right by definition'.Whether or not monetary corruption is involved,(and how awful that we can't be sure it's not) the arrogance and disrespect for law is
institutional corruption. Because of the open politicisation of the officials, we are reaching the situation where the managers will have to be changed after each election, which is deplorable.
mdj, e10 says...
2:39pm Sat 25 Apr 09
What stands out about this council is not any particular policy, because in a democracy nobody gets exactly what they want, which is fine; it's the open contempt of officials, even more than Councillors, for the rules and procedures they're supposed to follow. Some are cynics, who think we're too dumb to work out what's right, others seem genuinely to think: 'We're in power, so what we do is right by definition'.Whether or not monetary corruption is involved,(and how awful that we can't be sure it's not) the arrogance and disrespect for law is
institutional corruption. Because of the open politicisation of the officials, we are reaching the situation where the managers will have to be changed after each election, which is deplorable.
LarryTLemur, Walthamstow says...
5:57pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw, it's also said that in a democracy you get the governmnet you deserve.
What on earth did the residents of WF do to deserve this bunch of clowns, charlatans and and incompetents?
Answers on a postcard please . . . .
Janet1, Walthamstow says...
5:58pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Congratulations to Caramel Quinn. But for pity's sake, how incompetent can a council get away with being?
Techno2, Walthamstow says...
7:55pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Janet1 wrote:We saw it last week, when they called in the world's press to watch them shut down a restaurant that caters to adults, to protect school children who don't go there, from getting fat on the diet they are given in the school the council runs. Utter stupidity.
We're not getting much change out of a million pounds a year, just for the eight best-paid council officers. Our squads of elected councillors cost another million a year. And not one out of that overpaid crowd thought of checking whether this massive publicly funded contract was legal? Congratulations to Caramel Quinn. But for pity's sake, how incompetent can a council get away with being?
Stow Away, says...
8:07pm Sat 25 Apr 09
LarryTLemur, Walthamstow says...
9:16pm Sat 25 Apr 09
Stow Away wrote:Many a true word spoken in jest. Instead of letting it remain an eyesore until something is finally built on the site, with a little imagination and relatively low cost it could be turned into an inner city nature reserve. Thinking about it, why not fill some of the holes with water? Pond life would be an apt motif for this council.
Now that spring is here once again the plants on the arcade site are maturing nicely, particularly the buddleia which always attracts many bees and butterflies, I’m wondering if this ancient and historic building site should be designated a site of special interest to prevent any future development.
Touchwood, Walthamstow says...
10:23pm Sat 25 Apr 09
It's just a pity that the European Union, whilst being a useless bunch themselves, can't rule 'Loakes and his Jokes' illegal!!
JohnCharteris, Walthamstow says...
11:09pm Sat 25 Apr 09
E-number, E11 says...
2:26pm Sun 26 Apr 09
Janet1, Walthamstow says...
2:57pm Sun 26 Apr 09
Techno2 wrote:Meanwhile the council is selling off playing fields, so the kids don't get any exercise - a much more serious risk to their health. But hey, why not blame a small shopkeeper?
Janet1 wrote:We saw it last week, when they called in the world's press to watch them shut down a restaurant that caters to adults, to protect school children who don't go there, from getting fat on the diet they are given in the school the council runs. Utter stupidity.
We're not getting much change out of a million pounds a year, just for the eight best-paid council officers. Our squads of elected councillors cost another million a year. And not one out of that overpaid crowd thought of checking whether this massive publicly funded contract was legal? Congratulations to Caramel Quinn. But for pity's sake, how incompetent can a council get away with being?
E17006, E17 says...
8:01pm Sun 26 Apr 09
The councils vague Multiplex plans were the main thing preventing a cinema chain from rescuing the EMD, and also a strong argument that the UCKG could use for arguing that the previous public enquiry decision was no longer valid.
Now that the Multiplex plans have evaporated, the EMD campaign must have a serious chance of success now. Wonderful news for Walthamstow.
E17006, E17 says...
8:05pm Sun 26 Apr 09
The councils vague Multiplex plans were the main thing preventing a cinema chain from rescuing the EMD, and also a strong argument that the UCKG could use for arguing that the previous public enquiry decision was no longer valid.
Now that the Multiplex plans have evaporated, the EMD campaign must have a serious chance of success now. Wonderful news for Walthamstow.
NT, London says...
8:46am Mon 27 Apr 09
I keep reading about lessons being learnt.
Clearly, there is some way to go!
Fight The Height, Walthamstow says...
11:20am Mon 27 Apr 09
o.uk
Pamella, Highams Park says...
1:41pm Mon 27 Apr 09
If this doesnt show the utter incompetence of the council I dont know what does. They thought that they could just use millions of pounds of taxpayers money and it would all be just fine and dandy, well thank god for due processes!
i said it before the arcade is better off left derelict than let this council build even so much as a skate park on it (and thats being ambitious).
Cllr Matt Davis, Chingford says...
12:08am Tue 28 Apr 09
1) Neither Mrs Badrinath, Ms Koningsberg or Satish Mistry are still employed by the Council.
2) It was never any somewhat vague plans for a multiplex cinema that stopped an operator taking over the EMD, rather it was the totally unrealistic £2.5 million that the UCKG wanted for the building, along with the extensive refurbishment costs, that did that.
Lucifer1, Walthamstow says...
10:42am Tue 28 Apr 09
Cllr Matt Davis wrote:Well, in return Cllr Davis, a couple of facts for you:
A couple of facts for you all: 1) Neither Mrs Badrinath, Ms Koningsberg or Satish Mistry are still employed by the Council. 2) It was never any somewhat vague plans for a multiplex cinema that stopped an operator taking over the EMD, rather it was the totally unrealistic £2.5 million that the UCKG wanted for the building, along with the extensive refurbishment costs, that did that.
1) UCKG had several offers for the building, and it was only taken off the market after plans for the 'Multiplex' were leaked. UCKG themselves confirmed this.
2) If the council were to carry out the wishes of local residents and submit a Compulsory Purchase Order for the EMD, it could be bought for the current market price (considerably less than £2.5 Million!)and immediately sold on to one of the cinema operators who have expressed an interest in the building.
Now that the Arcade plans have fallen through yet again, this would seem the logical solution to the problem of regenerating the Town Centre. Over to you...
Techno2, Walthamstow says...
10:00am Thu 30 Apr 09
Cllr Matt Davis wrote:When were the public told about this or the reasons for their departure? And why were they given payrises if they were on their way out? How did that affect their pension rights?
A couple of facts for you all: 1) Neither Mrs Badrinath, Ms Koningsberg or Satish Mistry are still employed by the Council. 2) It was never any somewhat vague plans for a multiplex cinema that stopped an operator taking over the EMD, rather it was the totally unrealistic £2.5 million that the UCKG wanted for the building, along with the extensive refurbishment costs, that did that.
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Redfox, Walthamstow says...
10:19am Sat 25 Apr 09
Have the Lib Dems now seen the writing on the wall before they too, get voted out?
Extraordinarily arrogant people, catured by the recent outburst by the future new council leader Robbins: I see no schools places problems.
It was he don't forget, who infamously stated in an unretracted quote for WfM back in December 2004, referring to the Arcade site; If they are not laying bricks down there by Christmas, I shall be down there MYSELF laying them. A classic in our times.