Joe Anderson, Derek Hatton arrested among others....

[RJ Fan club]

An unusual step for MHCLG to write and basically ask for assurances on governance of the planning function. In 20 years I’ve never seen that before...

 

https://www.localgov.co.uk/MHCLG-demands-updates-after-Liverpool-mayor-arrest/51541

 

[Section_31]

This could explain why the city had turned into a student digs and aparthotel for stag and hen do's hell hole, in fairness I'd just put it down to basic short sighted incompetence. 

 

I bet @Strontium Dog™ is feeling pretty fucking smug about when his boys were in charge now, and rightly so. Those were the golden years, grandkids.

[Strontium]

2 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

I bet @Strontium Dog™ is feeling pretty fucking smug about when his boys were in charge now, and rightly so. Those were the golden years, grandkids.

 

Not as smug as you'd think, because the likes of Warren Bradley were just as corrupt. Although things were definitely better run back then.

[RJ Fan club]

27 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

This could explain why the city had turned into a student digs and aparthotel for stag and hen do's hell hole, in fairness I'd just put it down to basic short sighted incompetence. 

 

I bet @Strontium Dog™ is feeling pretty fucking smug about when his boys were in charge now, and rightly so. Those were the golden years, grandkids.

Dunno, the student flats is not uniquely Liverpool mate.

 

We may have more than most, but for about 3-5 years student flats aside from government developments, were getting the easiest finance out there for years.

 

Tbh it was laughable, every major pre-app I went to from 2008 to 2012 someone would additionally ask if we can’t have that can we have student flats? Real speculative shit, all made worse by the government changes to Planning requiring you have 5 yr housing land and apportioning numbers from non housing to that from others. Basically if general housing dries up and someone is offering student or retirement housing, you’re over a barrel to accept it. By enlarge anyway
 

I think the stag and hen thing was an extension of the growth in tourism, capital of culture and deregulation of the licensing laws. While the leadership has probably done little to manage it well, I think it was gonna happen anyway.

 

 

[Anubis]

23 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

Those were the golden years, grandkids.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. No.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

32 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

This could explain why the city had turned into a student digs and aparthotel for stag and hen do's hell hole, in fairness I'd just put it down to basic short sighted incompetence. 

 

I bet @Strontium Dog™ is feeling pretty fucking smug about when his boys were in charge now, and rightly so. Those were the golden years, grandkids.

When they were setting up meetings for the future of the region a few years ago, a mate of mine was on the original meetings. Apparently every other person of importance from the area wanted to focus on manufacturing. Chippy Tits didn't. He focused on tourism. Hence all the Amazon warehouses etc going up on Warrington. 

[Section_31]

17 minutes ago, RJ Fan club said:

Dunno, the student flats is not uniquely Liverpool mate.

 

We may have more than most, but for about 3-5 years student flats aside from government developments, were getting the easiest finance out there for years.

 

Tbh it was laughable, every major pre-app I went to from 2008 to 2012 someone would additionally ask if we can’t have that can we have student flats? Real speculative shit, all made worse by the government changes to Planning requiring you have 5 yr housing land and apportioning numbers from non housing to that from others. Basically if general housing dries up and someone is offering student or retirement housing, you’re over a barrel to accept it. By enlarge anyway
 

I think the stag and hen thing was an extension of the growth in tourism, capital of culture and deregulation of the licensing laws. While the leadership has probably done little to manage it well, I think it was gonna happen anyway.

 

 

 

In your experience though mate in the context of other similar sized cities, wouldn't those things be a component of, rather than the be all and end all of the town centre economy?

 

They don't seem to have, for example, anything to encourage tech companies, startups, or businesses in general to move into or stay in the city, even though there's a wealth of student talent there. Feels like there's nothing like you'd find at say, Salford quays. 

 

Feels like it's basicslly camp and furness and the surrounding areas or bust (most of which too, now, appears to be turning into student flats.)

[Code]

21 minutes ago, RJ Fan club said:

Dunno, the student flats is not uniquely Liverpool mate.

 

We may have more than most, but for about 3-5 years student flats aside from government developments, were getting the easiest finance out there for years.

 

Tbh it was laughable, every major pre-app I went to from 2008 to 2012 someone would additionally ask if we can’t have that can we have student flats? Real speculative shit, all made worse by the government changes to Planning requiring you have 5 yr housing land and apportioning numbers from non housing to that from others. Basically if general housing dries up and someone is offering student or retirement housing, you’re over a barrel to accept it. By enlarge anyway
 

I think the stag and hen thing was an extension of the growth in tourism, capital of culture and deregulation of the licensing laws. While the leadership has probably done little to manage it well, I think it was gonna happen anyway.

 

 

Those student flats, just below Lord Nelson on the old car park, wtf is actually going on there? Will they ever be fully finished. 

[RJ Fan club]

22 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

 

In your experience though mate in the context of other similar sized cities, wouldn't those things be a comment of, rather than the be all and end all of the town centre economy?

 

They don't seem to have, for example, anything to encourage tech companies, startups, or businesses in general to move into or stay in the city, even though there's a wealth of student talent there. Feels like there's nothing like you'd find at say, Salford quays. 

 

Feels like it's basicslly camp and furness and the surrounding areas or bust (most of which too, now, appears to be turning into student flats.)

I can’t say that I really know enough about what the balance is these days.

 

But as someone who trained then left the city due to lack of opportunities, I’ve always said and thought Liverpool needed to attract more blue chip, skilled workers than they have been doing. 

 

I would tend to agree that in the face of it, it’s a growth based on a shot in the arm, low confidence finance and questionable reliability. But perversely, student economy may prove to be more robust than others sectors post Covid. We’ll

see,

 

I’m not sure Liverpool is directly comparable. Perhaps it is, but years of shrinking population, Brain drain, low values, cheap land couple with high costs (contaminated land/ heritage/infrastructure demands) hasn’t left it the same options. Obviously government should have been doing more to address these issues, but they just didn’t do a good job of that. They focused the investment into some very questionable areas (policy choices not dodgy) Thanks god the EU did a better job, to a greater degree 

[RJ Fan club]

13 minutes ago, Code said:

Those student flats, just below Lord Nelson on the old car park, wtf is actually going on there? Will they ever be fully finished. 

I don’t know them mate. So sorry, I don’t know for sure.

 

A huge amount of student halls are speculative, not planned. So they might be mothballed or a failure. 
 

Universities here tend to have partners and work towards a level provision.
 

For example, I have worked to house all first years and overseas students. But over and above some developer will take a gamble they can get permission and secure a deal, lease to other institutions (language schools etc) or offer private accommodation.

 

As I said earlier, post credit crunch finance for open market housing on risky sites was hard to come by. Finance for student accommodation, a burgeoning sector not relying on mortgages to live there and with good returns on investment was/is attractive post 2008.

[Code]

16 minutes ago, RJ Fan club said:

I don’t know them mate. So sorry, I don’t know for sure.

 

A huge amount of student halls are speculative, not planned. So they might be mothballed or a failure. 
 

Universities here tend to have partners and work towards a level provision.
 

For example, I have worked to house all first years and overseas students. But over and above some developer will take a gamble they can get permission and secure a deal, lease to other institutions (language schools etc) or offer private accommodation.

 

As I said earlier, post credit crunch finance for open market housing in risky sites was hard to come by. Finance for student accommodation, a burgeoning sector no relying on mortgages to live there and with good returns was very attractive post 2008.

Cheers, its been going years, but now Ive not been over since February, so there might have been development without my knowledge. 
 

 

[RJ Fan club]

6 minutes ago, Code said:

Cheers, its been going years, but now Ive not been over since February, so there might have been development without my knowledge. 
 

 

I’ve not been up that street since I had the dubious honour of staying in the Liner for a weekend visit about 10 years ago. So don’t know. Looks like a student hovel. So expect you’re right and maybe something has happened since February. 

 

I was shocked to see how shite the clad monstrosities in Skelhorne Street were about 5 years ago and the each time I’ve been home since. Terrible bit of architecture and town planning that 

[Bruce Spanner]

They’re not about residents, they’re about placing money somewhere other than banks and out of the reach of tax.

 

They run as loss leaders, whilst getting considerable tax breaks/rebates, meaning ironically they turn profit and somewhere down the line they’re used as equity against, or liquidised. 

 

Like the ghost towers of London they’re hugely beneficial and a very convenient way of keeping the value in your pound for if/when you need it.

 

Capitalism 2.0, none of it makes sense to us, but people are getting fucking paid, somehow.

[Dr Arthur De Sabre]

12 hours ago, Code said:

Cheers, its been going years, but now Ive not been over since February, so there might have been development without my knowledge. 
 

 

Where’s the fucking Odeon gone?

[Dougie Do'ins]

Joe Anderson steps aside as Mayor of Liverpool following arrest

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/joe-anderson-steps-aside-mayor-19425317

[Bjornebye]

38 minutes ago, Dougie Do'ins said:

Joe Anderson steps aside as Mayor of Liverpool following arrest

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/joe-anderson-steps-aside-mayor-19425317

He didn't really have a choice. Corrupt fucker. 

[sir roger]

I was a bit surprised, because lets face it no fuckers in power resign or apologise for anything these days.

[magicrat]

18 hours ago, RJ Fan club said:

I’ve not been up that street since I had the dubious honour of staying in the Liner for a weekend visit about 10 years ago. So don’t know. Looks like a student hovel. So expect you’re right and maybe something has happened since February. 

 

I was shocked to see how shite the clad monstrosities in Skelhorne Street were about 5 years ago and the each time I’ve been home since. Terrible bit of architecture and town planning that 

I also stayed at the Liner on one occasion years ago.  What an utter dump, Most uncomfortable bed ever experienced.

[Dougie Do'ins]

3 minutes ago, sir roger said:

I was a bit surprised, because lets face it no fuckers in power resign or apologise for anything these days.

Unless he knows he's bang to rights.

[sir roger]

The  impression given was that the others in the party pressured him into it while he wanted to hang on, Dougie.

[RJ Fan club]

9 minutes ago, magicrat said:

I also stayed at the Liner on one occasion years ago.  What an utter dump, Most uncomfortable bed ever experienced.

Tbf I was so hammered all weekend I don’t remember the beds. 

[Dougie Do'ins]

18 minutes ago, sir roger said:

The  impression given was that the others in the party pressured him into it while he wanted to hang on, Dougie.

He's one stubborn fucker. If he honestly believes he's done no wrong, he'd have dug his heels in.

[Anubis]

Bit disappointed he didn’t give the standing aside while I clear my name press conference.

[RJ Fan club]

2 minutes ago, Anubis said:

Bit disappointed he didn’t give the standing aside while I clear my name press conference.

The Lobster Pot isn’t what it once was as a venue, post Covid.

 

I hear Bramley Moore Dock is good for social distancing though

[Harry Squatter]

Can remember seeing Derek Hatton last year walking through town in some bright suit thinking he was Ace Rothstein from Casino.