| Subject: RE: QUESTION TIME Mr Meacock |
Author: Helpful
Date: 10/31/2001 12:02 am WEDT
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As Mr Meacock’s outline on this site is unhelpful and we are unlikely to read his book I have prepared a shorter synopsis which seems adequate for most of us based on the assertions of both sides of the argument.
In the 1980s
The Beckwith Brothers (LET) bought the ice rink. It was marginally profitable, but this was in large part due to the historic failure to maintain the building. Skating was declining in popularity and they wanted to make a lot more money. They declined an offer from another local property magnate (Mr Meacock) to buy the site as an Ice Rink. They then put in an application for a change of use which was granted on the basis that an ice rink would be built next to the Pools on the Park. The planning permission for the Pools on the Park site was also granted, but an alliance of Kew residents, Royal Mid-Surrey golfers and the local MP (Jeremy Hanley?) took the case to a public inquiry and they defeated the plans – mostly on the basis of access. The commitment to build an ice rink on the Pools on the Park site was thus unenforceable.
The council took a pragmatic line and accepted a variation of the planning consent whereby they received £300,000 (or was it 2.5 million) to invest in other sports facilities in the borough (30 odd tennis courts, etc.). They also adopted a policy whereby they would look for an ice rink as a possible planning gain on suitable sites e.g. Richmond Station.
The conspiracy theory: The council never intended to ensure that the Ice Rink was replaced and entered into illegal deals with the developer.
In the 1990s
The Gas Works site was considered surplus to requirements by British Gas. They wanted a good price for it and pushed for a change of use to a supermarket. This was rejected by the Development Control sub-committee, but granted on appeal. At the appeal, Mr Meacock and the council wanted to put the argument that another use would be better i.e. an Ice Rink, but this is not a strong point in planning terms so it was not pursued (as Cllr Mann explained, the fact that another use may exist is not a basis for refusing a different application). In fact, the council’s case generally in refusing the application was very weak and the cost of decommissioning the gas works and decontaminating the site such that virtually no other use was economic.
The conspiracy theory: Central government granted planning permission as a personal favour to Lord Sainsbury.
In the 2000s
Mr Meacock has produced plans for reviving the Pools on the Park site. He has obtained a strong commitment from Sport England for funding. He has not submitted a planning application and claims that the scheme would be self-funding. As far as one can tell, councillors, such as Councillor Mann, appear not to have seen these plans.
The conspiracy theory: Council officers will not speak to him about this scheme as he has been a nuisance for years.
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Author |
Date |
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Richard Meacock |
10/29/2001 6:13 am WEDT |
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Cllr Laurence Mann |
10/29/2001 9:06 pm WEDT |
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Public Service Information |
10/29/2001 9:50 pm WEDT |
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Richard Meacock |
10/30/2001 5:03 am WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/30/2001 6:45 am WEDT |
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Richard Meacock |
10/30/2001 8:22 am WEDT |
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Knowledgeable |
10/30/2001 9:59 am WEDT |
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Richard Meacock |
10/30/2001 2:19 pm WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/30/2001 3:25 pm WEDT |
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Richard Meacock |
10/30/2001 9:19 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/31/2001 11:20 am WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/31/2001 1:49 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/31/2001 3:22 pm WEDT |
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RE: QUESTION TIME Mr Meacock |
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Helpful |
10/31/2001 12:02 am WEDT |
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Helped |
10/31/2001 12:43 am WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/31/2001 2:12 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/31/2001 3:12 pm WEDT |
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Helpless |
10/31/2001 4:12 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/31/2001 5:02 pm WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/30/2001 3:07 pm WEDT |
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R H |
10/30/2001 12:35 am WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/30/2001 3:33 pm WEDT |
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perplexed voter |
10/30/2001 2:31 pm WEDT |
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Laurence Mann |
10/31/2001 11:55 am WEDT |
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Richard Meacock |
10/31/2001 2:45 pm WEDT |
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Knowledgeable |
10/31/2001 3:34 pm WEDT |
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Trevor Clarke |
10/31/2001 4:00 pm WEDT |
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Cllr Laurence Mann |
10/31/2001 11:05 pm WEDT |
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Cllr Laurence Mann |
10/31/2001 10:52 pm WEDT |
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