Stockport Council News

From the Executive Meeting Agenda document – 12/8/14

It is to be “hoped” we get our money back from the very iffy former Precinct owners. Why did Goddard, Meikle, the two Corriss, Hogg, Smith et al hand these disreputable people golden planning elephants? I could guess.

“Offerton Precinct Development

This scheme relates to the
redevelopment of the Offerton Precinct.

Possession took place on
1st July 2013 whereupon payments began
to flow to the affected parties.

It is hoped that these costs will be
covered by the proposed indemnity from Tenbest. If the costs exceed the indemnity from Tenbest, the
shortfall will be raised through Directly Funded Borrowing.

Negotiations continue with regards the
amount of compensation, with no substantive progress having been made during Qtr 1 of
2014/15. It is unlikely that negotiations will be completed in
the short term but it is hoped that they will be
completed during the current financial year.”

In a response to my council meeting question asked 26/2/13 dated 5th March 2013 Stockport Council Executive Committee states:-

“The Council regrets the amount of time it has taken to bring forward the comprehensive regeneration of Offerton Precinct.” (But why so long only to find itself in a corner?).

“At present, the Council is not expecting to bear any capital costs associated with this scheme although there is always some element of risk in any such project. The Council has considered these risks carefully and is prepared to accept these risks to ensure the scheme moves forward.” (The risks could have been minimised long ago. Last minute trauma is not a good place to be when making these decisions. Many years have gone by etc).

The brief response to my question says a lot! The council regrets the time taken to get nowhere – i.e., to “bring forward the comprehensive regeneration of the Precinct” to a point where it was forced into a corner by the former Precinct owners.

At present they are not expecting to bear any capital costs but acknowledge risk, risk risk – wait and see.

Why didn’t the LibDem area committee or the LibDem Executive or Steve Burns, top planning banana, do the sensible thing and allow the Lisburne Group to have developed this site in concert with the wishes of local people back in circa 2006?

Shenanigans, and no mistake!

We must challenge LibDem lies every time they raise their ugly heads. Councillor Roberts states: “The Council has been working tirelessly for many years to secure the redevelopment of Offerton Precinct.” Lie. The Council has been working tirelessly for many years to cover the backs and protect the business interests of the former owners of the Precinct site and one can only guess at why.

I repeatedly asked questions about why the owners were not being made to keep their precinct in good repair. No real answer and no action taken against the Precinct owners It represented a serious danger to local people, as this photo shows:-

http://www.egi.co.uk/news/article.aspx?id=724702

This is what the former owners of Offerton Precinct get up to. Why did the LibDem Area Committee, Executive Committee and senior council officers at Stockport offer them golden planning elephants when it was known full well what sort of company they were and the shenanigans they got up to. One cursory look at the Precinct would have informed the Council what sort of company they were dealing with. Why was the Lisburne Group’s planning application to keep the local businesses and a new convenience store continually blocked by the LibDems?

It is the failure of the LibDem local councillors and the LibDem administration that led to this deplorable situation. The chutzpah of Roberts to claim the Council worked tirelessly to sort this situation out takes my breath away.

Had the Lisburne Group application been passed, the then owners of the Precinct would have been left with a worthless piece of land, because what was hidden at the time but much later emerged was that there was a covenant on the Tenbest (Precinct owner’s) land preventing housing being built on it. So, had the Lisburne Group developed the shops on their existing land, the Tenbest/Noe family would have been left with land which couldn’t be developed. Did Tenbest/the Noe family, have friends at LibDem court? We can only guess!

In a litany of dodgyness, is something now being done about Offerton Precinct and whose interests are being served? Never before the people of Offerton in my experience of Stockport Council.

http://www.sheilaoliver.org/offerton-precinct.html

An Order under Section 247 of the Town and Country Planning Act for the stopping up of Highway.