Burlington House grade 2 listed... ?
- 15 October 2010 07:5675084Not quite but looks so much like it!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-11547453
Plymouth's Civic Centre tower-block is being put up for sale.
The 15-storey building, opened in 1962, had been due to be flattened by the city council in an effort to save money.
But English Heritage gave it Grade II listed status in 2007, protecting it from the bulldozers.
The council says it cannot continue pouring money into maintaining the centre, which it claims has cost more than £650,000 over the past two years.
The authority says it would rather spend the money on other services.
The council is seeking interest from buyers for the whole area, including the nearby Council House and car park.
There is no price on the centre and agents Knight Frank say they are only looking for expressions of interest from buyers at the moment.
The council said if it could not sell the Civic Centre it could try to redevelop the site with the agreement of English Heritage.
Councillor Ian Bowyer, cabinet member for finance and property, said: "We are genuinely keen to see if there is interest in the building before we can go any further."
Chris Trevitt, head of capital and assets, said: "We have a few more years of make do and mend, but then we are going to have to spend substantial money on the building."
The plans to demolish the Civic Centre were part of a long-term shake-up of the council's premises.
But English Heritage listed the building after a proposal by the Twentieth Century Society.
English Heritage said it was a "very important post-war building and is an iconic feature in the centre of Plymouth".
Plymouth Civic Centre up for sale Plymouth Civic Centre was listed before it could be demolished
Please no !!!!Been nice knowing you :) - 15 October 2010 08:4775085Well done! That's everyone's blood-pressure up for a few minutes!!!!
Meanwhile in the Dover Express :- MORE than £9 million has been spent on the stalled Dover Town Investment Zone (DTIZ) scheme since 2007 including £5.2 million by the district council.
Good old FOI! More info here:- http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/maidstone/163-9m-3-years-spent-DTIZ/article-2753322-detail/article.html - 15 October 2010 11:3575106It's a shame these things often only get half-reported. All the money spent by DCC has, as I understand it, come from SEEDA and other central government sources, and nothing but some officer time from DDC budgets. These funds are ring-fenced for the regeneration of the town and if DDC hadn't spent the money, they would not have received it n the first place.
PG.I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson - 15 October 2010 11:5375109The article says the money has come from a Seeda grant and also names the other organisations and amounts so it's not actually half-reported but fully reported
- 15 October 2010 11:5775110quite right kathy,the report also states that land was purchased on the dtiz site.
a good bit of forward thinking in my view. - 15 October 2010 12:0075112Peter. Frankly I don't care if the money has come from DDC, KCC, SEEDA or whatever.
The bottom line is that it has all come out of yours and my pocket with damn all to show for it.
Meanwhile at the Western Heights:-
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/dover/Development-CGI-set/article-2753331-detail/article.html - 15 October 2010 12:0275114with respect bob i think you are missing the point.
the money that came in from central government could have been spent elsewhere, much better is spent in our locality. - 15 October 2010 12:1075116Howard.
The 'central government' has no money other than mine and yours.
That is the economics of the mad-house and thank goodness the largesse of SEEDA and other RDAs has now been curtailed. I seem to remember the same arguement being made for the Market Square TV!
I remember working in a Civil Service office where all the table tops were replaced one February. There was nothing wrong with the previous ones i.e. they stopped typewriters and other stuff falling to the floor but needed to replaced as otherwise 'they' would reduce our budget for next year when we might actually need something!
- 15 October 2010 14:4575125Has anyone on this Forum thought of selling Burlington House for a symbolic one penny to a foreign investor? They could come and fetch it and take it by cargo-ship.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
Rule Britannia!
Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,709
15 October 2010 18:1475135Bob re your post #6 see my last post on this thread http://www.doverforum.com/letters/viewtopic.php?id=4951&p=2"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi - 15 October 2010 18:1675136Alexander D , you have to own it first? That's the problem.
Watty - 15 October 2010 18:3975141there were moves afoot to make the owners liable for business rates due to the income they are receiving from the mobile phone masts on the building.
that is the only way that i can see of getting the owners to do something about the building. - 16 October 2010 11:1775198HMRC are the problem
They do the rating.
We and developers have challenged their status.
Watty - 16 October 2010 11:2075201thanks for info paul, surprised to read that hmrc are being so slow to grab some revenue.
