Tuesday, May 19, 2009
All this chopping and changing? Which version is the truth?
"Over the last 7 years, the Council has been working towards the delivery of a major regeneration project at Coatham Links.
During that time, we have secured a development partner - Persimmon Homes Ltd - and assembled an £85million funding package of public and private resources to deliver hundreds of new homes, a new indoor and outdoor leisure and sports facility with swimming complex, new coastguard/lifeguard station, and high quality open space. The Masterplan also includes a health village and opportunities for other commercial opportunities such as public house/restaurant, a children’s nursery and further leisure facilities including extreme sports. The scheme will bring major benefits to Coatham and Redcar as well as the wider Borough. As a major regeneration project the scheme has the potential to create 200 new jobs and boost the local economy with increased visitor spending. This will provide opportunities for local people - in training and employment and benefits to local businesses".
In further detail, the scheme will include:
• A new public Leisure Centre – with competition swimming pool, leisure and
children’s pools, fitness suite, performing arts space, indoor sports hall for a range of activities , outdoor 5 a side courts, and beauty treatment facilities. A dance floor of similar size to the current provision in the existing Redcar Leisure Centre will be incorporated.
• High Quality Public Open space – the improvement works currently being
completed at the Boating Lake is an advanced element. Piazzas, boulevards and
promenade including any necessary additional sea defence works will be
completed under the scheme.
• Extreme Sports Village – development of the current business operated by
Enterprise West Ltd operating the Mungle Jungle/Rkade. The Council is working with them to achieve this.
But in a different council spinning/damage limitation exercise from May 6th they said...
Coatham Links will be a mixed use development which will provide:
A new state-of-the-art leisure centre with 6 lane 25m pool, leisure pool, dance floor/performance space, 8 court sports hall, junior gym, 75 station fitness suite
357 new dwellings offering a range of new homes for first-time buyers, families and retirement
New public spaces, lighting and landscaping
Combined public sector and private sector £millions investment
The creation - either directly or indirectly of up to 200 new jobs
New public house and restaurant
LifeStyle Sports Village
Health Village
Childrens Nursery
How is it that on the 6th of May the council tell the public that the scheme will definitely be providing a childrens nursery and public house and yet yesterday on the 19th of May, they tell the public that there is only an opportunity for these things to be provided?
How come on the 6th of May there was no mention of the new leisure centre containing beauty treatment facilities, but on the 19th of May there is?
How is it that on the 6th of May the council tell the public that a health village will be provided as part of the scheme but on the 19th it isn't even mentioned in the detailed list of what is going to be provided? It only gets a brief mention, sandwiched in amongst some of the things that there are opportunities for, but no firm commitment to. This is easy to explain though. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU READ THE LETTER FROM THE PCT ON THIS SITE WHICH SAYS THAT THE PCT ARE LOOKING TO SITE THIS DOCTORS SURGERY ELSEWHERE!
On the 6th of May, there is something listed that is called the Lifestyle sports village. I asked on this blog then, is this the same thing as the Extreme Sports village? And lo and behold, yesterday on the 19th of May, the Lifestyle Sports village has gone and the Extreme sports village appears? It says that the council are working with them to achieve this, the important words there are "working with".
They haven't got funding for it and they never will have. The council have given the owners of the Mungle Jungle 125 year lease and still they cannot raise the money. As the MP said to me and other members of our group, they could give the owners of the mungle jungle a 1000 year lease and they still wouldn't be able to raise the money.
On the 6th of May they don't mention in the list of things that the scheme will provide, that it will provide piazzas, boulevards or a promenade, but on the 19th of May, they do? Also why do they refer to the sea defence as any necessary when they know that it is definitely necessary. So necessary is it, it was a part of the Coatham Planning Application and the EA laid down planning conditions about its construction.
I ask you, when they are twisting, turning and deliberately misleading the public what does it say? When they change things from one week to the next, what does it say?
It says that they know that their game is up. It says that they know that they have been caught out and they are desperately trying to tell people anything to convince them that all is well.
Go and see the film "Coatham a Common concern" and you will see the real facts and know that things are far from well with this scheme or with our council and MP.
