So Travelodge announces plans for 11 new hotels in Kent - including Deal.
(Apparently nothing to do with the Home Office improving their carbon footprint by no longer driving migrants to hotels in poor towns in the North and the Midlands!)
Having just come back from a couple of days in an Oxford Travelodge (**) where my carer and I stayed for less than £100 this sounds great - however just look at the financing:-
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/travelodge-announces-plans-for-11-new-hotels-in-kent-284393/
The firm wants to establish a "joint development partnership" with council bodies to "stimulate regeneration and facilitate further growth".
After the hotels are built, the councils will have the option to retain ownership of the hotel and receive an annual rent, or sell it with Travelodge as its operator.
Which rather looks like we might be in for a re-run of the building of St James' where the council (you and I) put up all the money for the construction.
Fortunately DDC managed to off load St James' onto Legal and General and with some creative accountancy were able to claim they broke even on the project (Top Tip- don't factor in hours upon hours of input from council employees).
This would appear to be the latest style of try on by outside 'investors' as successfully pulled off in Ashford by a development in which local boy made good 'The Mighty Quinn' has a 35% stake having 'sold' the other 65% to Ashford International Development Company (AIDC) and gets £50 million 'investment' from the council.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/council-to-sign-off-on-50m-loan-to-build-netflix-film-stu-284409/
Could be one to watch with the new Dover council?
(The other one to watch is of course the Regent Cinema (sic) in Deal. There will be very few councilors who were active when the site was sold at a knock down price with restrictions on its use. At the time I was keen to just sell to the highest bidder. I was informed by Council Officers that if, in future, there was a request to remove the restrictions (to build some rather nice seafront flats for example) the council would seek an 'uplift' in the price. Expect no such thing to happen - people no longer on the council to be blamed for the whole thing - promises that 'lessons will be learned' - and the building of the aforementioned rather nice seafront flats)
Regent 'Cinema) - sale price 2011 £385,000
200 yds furher along seafront:-
Apartment 9, Quarterdeck Sold 2015 £647,500
As they say, 'Go Figure'!
"Imminent my arse"! - as Jim Royle might put it.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/new-plans-imminent-for-towns-fire-hit-cinema-282487/
(**) Commemoration of Martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer.