Star date: 29th June 2016

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY GOES ON AT SALFORD COUNCIL OVER `EMBANKMENT MANCHESTER'

Despite new Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, promising more transparency over Council dealings, the secrecy has continued this week with a decision on the Embankment 101 office scheme – which was underwritten with £15million of public money.

The decision notice on the new build offices near Manchester Cathedral, dubbed the `Ugly Sisters', only states there will be a `package of support'. What support? How much? No-one's saying. Meanwhile, the `package of support' from Salford Council has been rewarded with the Greengate buildings being branded `Embankment Manchester'...

Full details here...

The mystery, secrecy and lack of transparency continues over the `Ugly Sisters' – two huge black glass office blocks being thrown up in Greengate, over the road from Manchester Cathedral and on the site of the old Exchange Station.

The buildings, known as Embankment 101 and 102– one almost complete and the other with impending planning permission – were originally underwritten in 2011, in secret, by Salford City Council to the tune of £15million, guaranteeing 50% of the rent to private developer ASK for ten years (see previous Salford Star article – click here).

Then, in 2014, former Mayor, Ian Stewart, changed that agreement, again in secret, to make the Council formally liable for an eight year pre-lease on the whole of the first office block, guaranteeing 100% of the rent (see previous Salford Star article – click here).

Meanwhile the Council's latest draft accounts only state cryptically: `There is a two year rent free period from the commencement of the lease and lettings are being actively sought through two firms of agents retained by the developer. As the likelihood of any eventual payment, its actual amount and timing are uncertain, no provision has been made in the council's accounts...'

The accounts add that "The building is due to achieve practical completion in August 2016 whereupon the Council's lease will commence..."

The secrecy has continued this week, when new City Mayor, Paul Dennett, signed a decision to "surrender...the Council's lease" and, instead, provide a "package of support" with the objective of "connecting local residents to...job opportunities". It doesn't state how much the package of support is worth.

There's absolutely no detail on anything, except that some (un-named) company is relocating its "Headquarters and Contact Centre to Salford". So, the Council is providing a package of support for people to work in a contact centre? Without any details no-one knows. What is clear from the Embankment's website is that there is still loads of empty office space in the building. Is Salford Council still liable for the rent on these empty floors?

The Salford Star tried to contact Richard Wynne, from Urban Vision, who is handling the deal but he `couldn't be reached'. The Star also emailed CBRE, the building's agents, but got no reply. Meanwhile, the new `transparent' Mayor, Paul Dennett, won't speak to the Salford Star, and Salford Council hasn't responded to questions for four years!

Meanwhile, those Salford residents who benefit from Salford Council's `package of support' will find themselves suddenly transported into Manchester as the whole Ugly Sister office scheme is branding itself as `Embankment Manchester'*, which, its brochure states, will continue "to strengthen the sense of local identity now emerging here".

Hayley Fielden, Principal Planning Officer for Salford City Council adds, in a blog on the `Embankment Manchester' website (embankmentmanchester.com) that "The fabulous Embankment Scheme and the associated regeneration partnerships across the wider Greengate area sum up, in my view, all that is good about Salford's entrepreneurial spirit and creative, problem solving approach to regeneration..."

Yep, call it `Manchester'. Problem solved.

In the meantime, the secrecy and lack of transparency at Salford City Council continues...

* Even the Twitter account is @embankmentmcr