WALTHAMSTOW: "Damn reckless" Arcade site scheme pushed through by Labour councillors (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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WALTHAMSTOW: "Damn reckless" Arcade site scheme pushed through by Labour councillors
10:01pm Tuesday 15th September 2009 in
A CONTROVERSIAL decision to push forward with plans for the £35m Arcade site development without a financial appraisal was given the green light at a stormy cabinet meeting tonight.
Labour members decided that officers should be instructed to start procuring a developer for the long-vacant site, on the corner of Hoe Street and High Street.
A series of recommendations from a cross-party scrutiny committee, including that a financial appraisal be carried out, were rejected by Labour councillors.
Labour councillors also rejected further recommendations including a call for a feasibility study into whether a swimming pool could be an effective “anchor tenant” to attract business.
Cllr Bob Sullivan, chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee, branded the move as “damn reckless”.
He said: “These things we have asked for are straightforward and need to be done by anybody doing anything, such as when somebody sells a house.”
The move has angered both the Conservative group, which believes the council should wait until the economy improves, and the Lib Dems, whose four members voted against tonight's decision.
Under the new scheme a £10m pool on the Arcade site will be funded by selling Waltham Forest Pool & Track, in Chingford Road, or “alternative assets”.
Cllr John Macklin, Lib Dem leader, expressed concern about the threat to the Pool & Track, and said he was concerned about the future of sports facilities in the borough.
He also questioned whether residents living in other areas of the borough will benefit from the £35m scheme, questioned how swimming club team vehicles could park near the new development and expressed doubt that £10m could be raised from the sale of the pool when the track facility will remain in place.
He said: “This is an inappropriate report brought forward at an inappropriate time.”
But visibly angry council leader Chris Robbins told Cllr Macklin: “This is an unacceptable contribution as well quite frankly.
“I am fed up with you bringing in red herrings - there will be no closures of sports facilities and you know it.”
Labour cabinet member Cllr Marie Pye said the proposal was sound and that residents are fed up with councillors "talking and not doing anything".
The latest Arcade site scheme is for a development including shops, a cinema, a swimming pool and homes to be funded by £35m of borrowed money and the further £10m from sold assets.
Comments(27)
wallycat
says...
10:42pm Tue 15 Sep 09
I am a long time Labour supporter, but I really don't see how I can vote for them next time round, this whole saga has been beyond a joke!
mdj
says...
11:19pm Tue 15 Sep 09
St Modwen walked away from the Arcade, having had a veto on the prime site in the Borough without the trouble of paying for it, and without paying any kind of penalty clause for wasting our time. This left the Council looking completely stupid.
We need to find out who negotiated such slack terms with St Modwen, and sack them quick. Or are they now working for St Modwen?
Officials have left this Borough on other occasions to take up jobs with consultants they had recently been dealing with on the Council's behalf (google Renaisi for details). In order to tempt another developer with the guarantee of a profit, they will have to be offered a deal of even less advantage to us, the tax-payers.
Surely this is a decision that can be called in for consideration by full Council: if not, what are all these people for?
Will Councillor Robbins explain why we should expect any better result next time round with the same failed personnel in charge?
whatis
says...
1:18pm Wed 16 Sep 09
tiful art deco interior,Its a national (and international ,where are there signs of world famous director?)embarrassm
ent, are they doing everything they can so we never get it back: The asset to Walthamstow’s regeneration.
Another rush decision??, on the other hand don't believe they'll do anything, they’ve been stringing us along for years when it suits and then turn round...and on the way do a lot of damage and spend a lot of money.
Sorry councillors, but we are not impressed by your tarmacking the Arcade,it is better but no need for any grand photographs-Its ok for councillors ,you can always move on and take no responsibility but the damage you do will stay with Walthamstow-
Is there not a case here for this to go higher as with Hackney and get rid of that useless/damaging lot?
Who can we vote for? This time it won't be labour-others where exactly do you stand with the EMD etc... ?
Touchwood
says...
1:24pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Maurice Stoker
says...
1:26pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Kevin Wyatt-Lown
says...
2:26pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Meanwhile, the Council persists in pushing through their objective to risk £35 million of ratepayer money on the Arcade site, choosing to ignore recommendations from the scrutiny committee for a full financial appraisal and feasibility study and consistent calls for due diligence in the process of assessing the business case – let alone the environmental impact of this decision.
As I recall, one of the original excuses the Council gave for being unable to support the EMD development was the lack of parking. Putting aside the impact of the proposed 4,000 capacity a day services still planned for by the UCKG church, just how do the Council see the new proposed development impact on traffic congestion?
Meanwhile we have to question what the real driver is behind Council Leader Robins’ apparent blind state of panic over needing to force this issue through and jeopardise our finances at any cost.
In an earlier exchange, Cllr Wheeler said a feasibility study would be a "diversion from facing up to the real issues" Now we have Robins claiming further debate is “an unacceptable contribution”.
The Council is behaving like a bunch of capitalist City mavericks, ready to risk all of our money on the next high risk venture. The reality is this fiasco should stop now.
Or does this just re-enforce the belief many of us have; that Labour has already seen the writing on the wall and, in a final act of sabotage before their decimation at the polls, hope to saddle the next Council with their debt and folly.
DaveE17
says...
3:38pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Cllr Andrew Hemsted
says...
3:57pm Wed 16 Sep 09
The Labour, and indeed the Liberal Democrats has made a total hash of this site and getting the best use and value for the local tax payer has never entered into their heads.
I am also not surprised at the lack of total imagination on this.
The council has in the past talked about trying to create a night economy around Walthamstow, with active bars and restaurants. For this to succeed we need more than a cinema, housing and swimming pool.
To create a sustainable community centre we also need places for people to work.
Why has no office space been included in this plan? Both Central Government, and other business's from London are looking for cheaper office space outside of the centre of London. We could be actively encouraging these to come to Walthamstow, so bringing people into the area to work, creating jobs for local people, and then creating custom for people who run these shops, bars, restaurants and proposed cinema.
Croydon and Enfield are good cases in point, where office workers at the end of the day unwind after work in the surrounding area.
The fact that this has not been considered shows how badly the people of Walthamstow are represented by Labour and the Lib Dems.
whatis
says...
4:22pm Wed 16 Sep 09
bella5236
says...
5:20pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Brendasfriend
says...
6:40pm Wed 16 Sep 09
I have an idea for TARMAC CORNER - it would be pretty good as a sort of local Speakers Corner, wouldn't it? I think plenty of us would be up for using it. Waddyer say, bloggers?
Lucifer1
says...
8:17pm Wed 16 Sep 09
Has anyone else noted how so many of those involved in this scandal do not even represent Walthamstow residents? Wheeler represents Cathall ward, which has more in common with Newham than Walthamstow. Robbins is from Grove Green ward (also well outside of Walthamstow) while Pye is a councillor in Leytonstone. Say what you like about John Macklin, but at least he represents people in the area where this disgraceful decision will have the most impact. He now surely has a DUTY to at least request the decision be called in for discussion at full council. Councillor Matt Davis should join him in this. Both of them need to decide whether they are going to be part of the solution - or part of the problem.
It has been obvious to most of us for many months that Labour has totally lost the plot in this borough. Macklin and Davis should now do the decent thing and bring down the cabinet before any more lunatic decisions can be forced upon us. After all, if they will not do so for this scandal, then we are entitled to ask just what WOULD it take??
Whatthefuck
says...
10:12pm Wed 16 Sep 09
kalex
says...
11:19pm Wed 16 Sep 09
But what about the divers? What about the serious swimmers that have already had to move on from the closed down college pool? What about the athletes? In this article it says the track is staying but the local labour party has told members the track is being sold because it is not fit for purpose and too expensive to renovate? (where have i heard that before? oh yeah, st james street library) We need clarity on that issue.
We also need reassurance that we will not lose one facility until the other is ready. (should it ever be)
And journalists, don't you fancy some investigative work? Why is Labour pushing this through now, in September, when a review of sporting facilities in the borough is due in January? This would surely be a better time to decide whether a town centre leisure centre is an option to pursue. And we've waited 7 years for something to be done on the arcade site, we could wait a few more months if it was for a more informed, consultation based decision. Oh yeah, but St Modwen's contract runs out in December.....
ferdy55
says...
10:11am Thu 17 Sep 09
The GLL centre has free swimming for over 60's & under 16's. Don't know the costs for the people in the middle age groups.
bella5236
says...
10:35am Thu 17 Sep 09
sensibility
says...
4:06pm Thu 17 Sep 09
Residents dont want walthamstow pool to close.
How long before the new buildings are built and will they built? and what cost!!!!
RichieA70
says...
10:05pm Thu 17 Sep 09
Of course however fast they try and rush this latest appalling scheme, the next election will have come and gone and ANOTHER election would be approaching before a real likelyhood of this crazy development actually getting built.
The council must ultimately take full responsbility for the condition of Waltham Forest pool (& track) - they have allowed it to get so run down that (according to the council) it would be a false economy in trying to refurbish it.
Everyone except most on the council cabinet seem to feel the location of a pool on the arcade site is madness.
Unless EVERYONE in this borough pulls together and writes to object to the UCKG's church plans for the EMD cinema, we will end up with that building run as a church creating a huge black hole in the town centre economy - right next door to the existing black hole of the arcade tarmac.
At least if the EMD church plans are rejected, we will be closer to getting that cinema re-opened.
Sadly many councillors expect the majority of residents not to engage in local decision making and they assume people will keep voting per party loyalty. Let's hope next year's election actually gives us some local representives with the intelligence and compassion to service this borough well. We've got far too few at the moment....
Brendasfriend
says...
10:34pm Thu 17 Sep 09
Wednesday 23rd September at 7.30pm
Upstairs Hall
QUAKER MEETING ROOMS
1A Jewel Road
Walthamstow, E17 4QU
to discuss campaign groups contesting the elections under one collective banner. Yes, we have many differences but we can also agree on a lot.
bella5236
says...
5:46pm Fri 18 Sep 09
amanda27
says...
7:08pm Fri 18 Sep 09
The funding proposal is almost as ridiculous, borrowing £35m along with the sale of Pool and Track for £10m. Does our borough wish to burden itself with maintaining this debt as it appears to have enough trouble maintaining its current costs such as the running and maintenance of the sports facilities we currently have?
The sale of Pool and Track, a widely used facility, offering the only diving pool in the area and one of the only tracks, to fund a new presumably smaller pool. So the net effect to sports facilities in the borough is the loss of a track; the loss of a diving pool; the loss of a gym and replacing one pool with a smaller one. How does this fit with being an Olympic borough? How does this fit with the borough addressing its high obesity rates? How does this fit with the council’s action plan for youth crime prevention? Cllr Chris Robbins what is going on in your head?
And please don’t start trying to use the poor condition of Pool and Track in your favour as the councils should have been maintaining it – why is the regeneration of Pool and Track not on the council’s list of proposals.
torchbearer
says...
9:11pm Fri 18 Sep 09
Many of us were staggered that Lib Dems wouldn't lead the Council back in 2006 when a golden opportunity showed itself, instead of propping up the dead hand of Labour. You can still pull the plug on Labour with courage and forebearance.
Maurice Stoker
says...
1:20pm Sat 19 Sep 09
Bouncy castles are one thing but the real issues are far more important.
Brendasfriend
says...
11:46pm Sat 19 Sep 09
Cllr Matt Davis
says...
12:56pm Sun 20 Sep 09
whatis
says...
4:26pm Mon 21 Sep 09
Cllr Hemsted ?
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xexuxjy says...
10:24pm Tue 15 Sep 09