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SALFORD COUNCIL TO SPEND £184,000 ON THREE TREES AND TARMAC FOR ARTISAN HOTEL
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Star date: 10th October 2013 FORMER BROWN BROTHERS BUILDING TARRED WITH CONTROVERSY – AGAIN! Salford Council is about to spend over £184,000 tarting up the outside of a soon to open hotel created by developers Artisan at the site of the former Brown Brothers Building, off Chapel Street. For £184,000 the `public realm improvements' include three trees, a new sign, some tarmac and paving. Artisan has contributed just £18,400 towards the cost. It's not the first time this site has been tarred with controversy – by now the building should have been a `hub' creating 200 jobs. Whatever happened? Stars MP Hazel Blears, police commissioner Tony Lloyd, Manchester councillor Chris Paul, Salford's own John Merry and the £1.7million European Social Fund grant that went west… Full details here…
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Even Salford Council's own `medium' risk assessment states, almost apologetically, that, er, this "does represent a significant financial investment by the council"… Incredibly, if approved, the Council will spend £184,019 on, what it calls `public realm improvements' around the imposing former Brown Brothers Building, off Chapel Street, which is in the process of being turned into a 57 bedroom hotel by developers Artisan Irwell Street Limited. The cost of £184,019 is for three street trees, `signage rationalisation', some lights, `plaza paving', a `bituminous' car park and paving (tarmac) and `buff coloured surfacing in central reservation'...and Urban Vision fees of £28,115. The Salford Council report states… "Urban Vision has consulted closely with the hotel developers Artisan Irwell Street Limited and their design team in terms of the design and choice of materials which are in line with their aspirations." Yet Artisan is contributing just £18,400 `Section 106' payments towards the cost of tarting up the outside of its hotel, at a time when Salford Council is asking staff to Think The Unthinkable in terms of cuts to public services (see here). In return for what appears like a sweetener to the developer, Artisan will, via the Broughton Trust, "develop a process that will support local people into jobs or at the very least guarantee them an interview". By now, the former Brown Brothers Building should have been stuffed with 200 permanent jobs and training opportunities. It was bought by Workspace Centres Ltd and Innovation in Digital and Electronic Arts (IDEA) around 1999 and was destined to be the IDEA Centre, for "the creation of incubator units, managed workspace and serviced business space for new and small businesses".
The project was led by Chris Paul, now a Manchester City Council Labour councillor, with support from Salford MP Hazel Blears and Tony Lloyd MP, now Police Commissioner. But it never happened. And, as debts mounted, Salford Council bent over backwards to try and rescue the project, underwriting it with £220,000 – even though IDEA was being investigated over irregularities concerning a £1.7million European Social Fund. An internal Government Office North West (GONW) document at the time (2005) states that risks surrounding the project included a "financial loss of £1.7million", "embarrassment to GONW/DWP" (Department of Work and Pensions)… and "possible MP involvement". It's an incredible story of how Salford Council was an easy financial touch for anyone promising anything to do with `regeneration'. Now the 200 promised jobs have been replaced with the latest developer `at the very least guaranteeing' Salford people an interview to work at the new hotel – with its smart new £184,019 `public realm', almost totally paid for by the public purse. The full story behind the Brown Brothers Building and IDEA to follow…
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Bernard Brough wrote
at 21:15:13 on 19 October 2013 |
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| Well done Paul you finally understood what I was saying. Now that we have established that there are no socialists in power who do you blame for the horses arse that has been made of running this country since 1979? Got it yet? Yes it is the Tories, the true nasties and Tory lite, otherwise known as New Labour. province ga |
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Paul wrote
at 10:13:22 on 19 October 2013 |
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| To Bernard, where were the party representing the socialists in the election, considering you say labour are no longer socialist, just goes to show that socialism is dead, confined to the history books where it belongs along with the people who harp on about it. Your point about labour putting a red rosette on a donkey and it winning, your right. But when Michael Gove has shaken up the education system and got rid of the left wing people who car't teach, out of our schools, you just have to look at the independent review of our schools, 22nd place in world education league table, then we might in the future have people who can think for them selves instead of voting on the lines of , my father and mother and grandfather , grandmother voted labour , how many people on this site who have complained about this labour council still go on to vote labour at elections, nothing will change while we have brain dead people who can vote. Ps Bernard , UKIP still came second Tories third, left wing socialist parties confined to the history books. |
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Lancashire Lad wrote
at 17:18:59 on 17 October 2013 |
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| So let me get this right. Salford Council are going to spend £184,000 of public money to tart up a private building? So when the building is sold it's value will be enhanced by Salford's generous gesture and only the legal owners will benefit???
I need a bit of guttering replaced at the front of my stately home and a lick of paint would not go amiss plus a new stable for the horses would be handy.
Could someone at Salford Star please tell me to which department of Salford Council I need to apply to so I also can benefit from this innovative scheme or should that be innovative scam? |
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Bernard Brough wrote
at 20:47:16 on 12 October 2013 |
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| I keep hearing that Labour could put a cabbage up for election in Salford & it would win. Funny that UKIP keep trying that tactic and fail. |
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Matt Simpson wrote
at 20:46:48 on 12 October 2013 |
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| Wrote, just like to say i increased my vote by 30% this time. People are willing to vote for an outside chance, i've just got to talk the other 84% into voting next time. |
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wrote
at 09:34:20 on 12 October 2013 |
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| @wrote,
Facilities, what facilities, weaste and seedley have been absolutely devastated under labour, the've got exactly the same numbers as the last election, meaning they have a dedicated following of idiots, once again labour had every one out on the street canvassing, next year will be diffident, elections will be across salford, next year Ronnie wilsons seat Is up for grabs and he won't have the same back up as the last two weaste and seedley elections, remember ukip came second, not bad for a new party, labour is fighting in it's own back yard and it's struggling to get voters,what did murphy get , around 1500 votes, now there getting 800 big drop |
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bob wrote
at 20:22:21 on 11 October 2013 |
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| as "Labour has regained the trust of the people of Salford" I do not think anyone can say 8% support for labour is any sort of victory. People don't vote because they think there is no way to get rid of the shower of shites, that is the labour party in salford. |
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Paul wrote
at 20:19:13 on 11 October 2013 |
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| @ wrote, did you speak to hesling, you can see why labour picked him, couldn't hold a conversation, did't know about the area or what was happening in it, a total labour yes man, they was going to put a cabbage up for election,but were afraid it might have an opinion, so to be on the safe side chose hesling instead |
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wrote
at 09:57:34 on 11 October 2013 |
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| I see the UKip vote was devastated in the Weaste by-elction. Labour has regained the trust of the people of Salford through its investment in the new builds housing, supermarkets and facilities. Very well done Cllr Stephen - we need more like you.
Stephen Hesling, Labour Party: 803 votes
Adam Kennaugh, Conservative Party: 240 votes
Andrew Olsen, Green Party: 42 votes
Kay Pollitt, British National Party: 29 votes
Terry Simmons, Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts: 21 votes
Matt Simpson, Independent: 96 votes
Glyn Wright, UK Independence Party: 280 votes |
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wrote
at 20:25:06 on 10 October 2013 |
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| With all the money spent on planning and development when will SCC wake up to the fact that we need a real life City Centre of our own. This City needs a central heart....somewhere to meet up with your friends at the weekend, where you can shop till you drop in quality establishments, have a meal, wander around a few bars or cafes and possibly finish the night off in a club. I really don't mind paying for improvements, but only if there is a tangible benefit for the people who actually live in Salford and pay their taxes. I'm sure not happy about forking out to tart up the pavement/public realm around a hotel whose visitors who will probably just sleep there before making their way into Manchester to spend their cash. |
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brian f kirkham wrote
at 20:24:49 on 10 October 2013 |
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| Good heavens! Mike... I'm reading you again praising the current cabal...investment money well spent err...let's consider that..more business in Salford...great (I'll let the fact they'll still flog themselves as our neighbouring city go) and pray tell, who will this lot be taking on? Auntie took on plenty from the city didn't they last year? Er'm..actually no...they shipped most of them in! I suppose there's always next year..be interesting to see those grown up kiddies from their academy getting jobs there ... if this is actually the case. |
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TangerineDream wrote
at 20:23:43 on 10 October 2013 |
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| Yet another obscene amount of money wasted by 'Night-Mayor' Stewart and his useless colleagues. It's about time these idiots were either voted out at the earliest opportunity or trundled in a horse cart to the nearest guillotines. |
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Heather wrote
at 15:02:19 on 10 October 2013 |
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| This just beggars belief. They are all morons if they think this is a good investment at such a terrible time for so many of our vulnerable people. I sometimes feel like I am in an alternate universe with our council - they have a completely different script to the rest of us. |
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Michael Felse wrote
at 14:57:59 on 10 October 2013 |
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| I pass this building daily. It is looking fantastic. This should be a huge success and with business rate income needed by Salford Council this is investment money well spent. Yet another success for Mr Mayor Stewart. Excellent. |
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