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Decision on listing of Civic
Centre due in March Listing would protect them from demolition and so sabotage Carlisle Renaissance plans to redevelop the area. English Heritage has been assessing the architectural merit of the Civic Centre, an 11-storey 1960s office block. Its experts have also examined the fire station, former police station, magistrates court, Adriano’s restaurant and homes in Warwick Street. These are 1940s buildings, in the main designed by the then city engineer Percy Dalton. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has the final say. A spokeswoman for English Heritage said: “Our advice has been submitted to the Department for Culture Media and Sport, which makes the final decision to list or otherwise. “We would hope to receive the Department’s decision by the end of March.” Olwyn Luckley, a Liberal Democrat city councillor for the area, asked English Heritage to consider the 1940s buildings for listing in 2006. When its inspectors visited, they decided to look at the Civic Centre as well. The concrete structure was voted one of the 20 most-hated buildings in Britain by viewers of Channel 4’s Demolition. However, English Heritage recently listed Plymouth Civic Centre, which is similar in style and of the same era. Carlisle City Council wants to clear the area to make way for a new square with shops, offices and a hotel. But even if the buildings are not listed, its plans could be affected by the outcome of the Carlisle local plan inquiry, also due next month. Save Our Streets campaigners, who oppose the scheme, received a sympathetic hearing from inquiry chairman Patrick Whitehead when they put their case last summer. His report may recommend that Corporation Road and Peter Street are removed from a proposed “regeneration area” so lifting any threat that homes might be bulldozed. Save Our Streets is stepping up pressure on the City Council ahead
of the publication of the inquiry findings.Four members have tabled
questions critical of Renaissance under the council’s public
participation procedure.The questions will be put to council leader
Mike Mitchelson when the council meets on Tuesday. Campaigners step up pressure on council The group is opposed to plans to demolish homes in the Rickergate area as part of Carlisle Renaissance. Four members have tabled questions critical of Renaissance under the council’s public participation procedure. They will be put to council leader Mike Mitchelson when the council meets on Tuesday. Simon Osman, whose home in Warwick Street is under threat, is asking if places on the new Renaissance management board will be open to all or be “jobs for the boys”. Julie Templeton asks how the council can take on new staff for Renaissance when posts elsewhere are being left empty to save money. Elizabeth Allnutt asks how the Renaissance board can be called to account if it “mismanages” public funds. And Neil Irving wants to know why Save Our Streets was not invited to join councillors viewing regeneration schemes in Glasgow. Meanwhile, council chiefs are studying a draft copy of the findings of the public inquiry into the Carlisle local plan, which should be published next month. These findings could scupper Renaissance proposals for Rickergate involving demolition of existing buildings to make way for a new square, shops, offices and a hotel. The chairman of the inquiry, Patrick Whitehead, appeared sympathetic to campaigners when they put their case last summer. His report may recommend that Corporation Road and Peter Street are removed from a proposed “regeneration area” so lifting any threat that homes might be bulldozed. Whatever the inquiry decides, English Heritage could also halt the Rickergate scheme by listing demolition-threatened buildings. It is considering applications to list the Civic Centre, Adriano’s
restaurant, the former police station, the fire station, magistrates
court and homes in Warwick Street. People ‘exasperated and disillusioned’
by Renaissance Terry Scarborough, a Labour member for Botcherby, told colleagues that some were asking him: “Will it happen in my lifetime?” He said: “They are becoming exasperated and disillusioned. The main words they hear in connection with Carlisle Renaiisance are aspiration and consultants. “I’m not trying to be negative but I hope that in five years’ time people coming to Carlisle will be able to ask where the ice rink is and where the theatre is. “And I don’t want a lot of the high-speed trains passing through Carlisle with passengers waving through the windows.” Mr Scarborough was speaking at a meeting of the community overview and scrutiny committee. Councillor Marilyn Bowman, portfolio holder for economic development, said Carlisle Renaissance was not just about making a physical difference. She said: “It is only three years since the floods and we have done a lot of work. But you can’t turn round an oil tanker in a hurry. A lot is happening, such as the Jobs Fair. We are now approaching the time when we will start making a physical difference.” Council chiefs admitted recently that work on Carlisle Renaissance schemes to redevelop Rickergate and the Viaduct Estate are unlikely to start until 2010. Renaissance was launched as a response to the 2005 floods with promises it would create 3,000 jobs, bring £160m of private investment and transform the face of Carlisle. The Renaissance plans for Rickergate involve demolition of the Civic Centre, police and fire stations, magistrates court and homes in Warwick Street. In their place would come shops and offices, a tree-lined square and a luxury hotel. Viaduct Estate would get a waterfront office development and possibly an HQ for the University of Cumbria. The city council’s director of Renaissance, Ian McNichol, says obstacles have to be overcome before building work can begin. Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] Call for debate over Rickergate rejected The Save Our Streets group says the public should have a say on the Carlisle Renaissance scheme for a square, shops, offices and a hotel. The group is opposed to the demolition of homes in Warwick Street, which is an integral part of the proposal. The plan also involves knocking down the Civic Centre, magistrates court and police and fire stations. Save Our Streets spokesman Simon Osman said: “We want a full open debate on Carlisle Renaissance, in the same way as we had a debate on the Millennium proposals at the Sands Centre in 1998.” Around 1,000 people attended that event – most hostile to the council’s Millennium plans, which included Louvre-style glass pyramids outside Tullie House. Council leader Mike Mitchelson said he had no plans for a similar debate on the Renaissance proposals. He added: “Everything is on hold until the results of the local plan inquiry are made public [next month]. We will take stock then.” Mr Osman, meanwhile, is critical of another council proposal to hand over control of Carlisle Renaissance to a board dominated by the private sector. He said: “Of the nine members only two will be elected councillors. “If you get fed up of a councillor you can vote them out. You can’t do that with this board.” Cumbria County Council’s Carlisle local committee shares his concerns. The committee, made up of all county councillors from Carlisle, voted by a majority this week not to endorse the city’s new economic strategy. This calls for substantial population growth over the next 20 years. Labour councillors in particular voiced doubts about the Renaissance board. Labour group leader Stewart Young said: “To hand over spending of public money on this scale is unacceptable.” Fellow Labour councillor Reg Watson added: “These people won’t necessarily be from Carlisle and won’t know what Carlisle needs. I believe it is anti democratic.” Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] Shake-up of board for revamp Renaissance was launched by Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council as a response to the 2005 floods. It includes major redevelopment plans for Rickergate and Viaduct Estate. City council leader Mike Mitchelson announced proposals last month to hand over control of Renaissance to a nine-person board dominated by the private sector. The city and county councils would have had only one representative each, prompting criticisms that elected councillors might not have enough say. But Mr Mitchelson told the council’s executive yesterday that he had taken comments on board and would recommend that the board had four councillors. He said: “We have to make sure the board is accountable to both councils and the Northwest Development Agency. “The make-up of the board will be decided by the city and county councils and NWDA.” “And statutory powers [over planning and highway matters] will remain with the respective councils.” He added: “Arrangements will be put in place to enable scrutiny of the board by the City Council.“It is important that we formally get a scrutiny process so that the board’s decisions can be continually monitored.” The revised board will have 12 members – two each from the city and county councils, one each from the NWDA and Cumbria Vision, and six from local businesses. The chairman, who has a casting vote, will be chosen from the private-sector representatives. The board will appoint a £75,000-a-year programme director to lead a Renaissance team including three development managers and an urban designer. Total funding for this team will be £750,000 a year with the lion’s share of the money coming from the NWDA. The original proposals for a nine-person board with only two elected members were criticised by a council scrutiny panel and, especially, by Labour county councillors. Stewart Young, leader of the county’s opposition Labour group, said: “To hand over spending of public money on this scale is unacceptable.” Fellow Labour councillor Reg Watson said: “I believe it is anti-democratic.” Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] Losing faith in Renaissance Terry Scarborough, a Labour member for Botcherby, told colleagues that some were asking him: “Will it happen in my lifetime?” He said: “They are becoming exasperated and disillusioned. The main words they hear in connection with Carlisle Renaissance are ‘aspiration’ and ‘consultants’. “I’m not trying to be negative but I hope that in five years’ time people coming to Carlisle will be able to ask where the ice rink is and where the theatre is. “And I don’t want a lot of the high-speed trains passing through Carlisle with passengers waving through the windows.” Mr Scarborough was speaking at a meeting of the community overview and scrutiny committee. Councillor Marilyn Bowman, portfolio holder for economic development, said Carlisle Renaissance was not just about making a physical difference. She : “It is only three years since the floods and we have done a lot of work. But you can’t turn round an oil tanker in a hurry. A lot is happening, such as the Jobs Fair. We are now approaching the time when we will start making a physical difference.” Council chiefs admitted recently that work on Carlisle Renaissance schemes to redevelop Rickergate and the Viaduct Estate are unlikely to start until 2010. Renaissance was launched as a response to the 2005 floods with promises it would create 3,000 jobs, bring £160m of private investment and transform the face of Carlisle. The Renaissance plans for Rickergate involve demolition of the Civic Centre, police and fire stations, magistrates court and homes in Warwick Street. In their place would come shops and offices, a tree-lined square and a luxury hotel. Viaduct Estate would get a waterfront office development and possibly an HQ for the University of Cumbria. The city council’s director of Renaissance, Ian McNichol, says obstacles have to be overcome before building work can begin. Taken from News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] The race is on for four-star Carlisle A flurry of bids for the coveted status have emerged as the city looks to re-invent itself as a serious destination for businesses and rich tourists. The latest attempt – at the city centre Lakes Court Hotel – was revealed last week. Hallmark Hotel Group – a private equity-backed firm – has bought the Victorian venue from city nightlife magnate Ged Crooks in a deal worth nearly £4 million. The company immediately announced its intention to elevate the historic hotel to four-star standing. The news emerged just a week after news that the nearby Central Plaza Hotel, on Victoria Viaduct, could also be in line for a four-star makeover. But the derelict building will start from a long way back in a sprint to the four-star crown. A notorious city eyesore, the Plaza is little more than a run-down shell of a building. Nonetheless, the overseas property giant that owns it has confirmed it hopes to create Carlisle’s first four-star city centre hotel. Proposals include a bar, restaurant and an entire floor of shops. The Victoria Viaduct building has been unused since 2004 and repeatedly failed to sell at auction. The plan with the most momentum though – and a man behind it with a track record for getting things done – is the proposed four-star 130-bedroom hotel, restaurant, conference centre and fitness club at Kingmoor Park industrial estate, north of Carlisle. The five-storey resort would form part of owner Brian Scowcroft’s ‘hub’ plan, which will also boast a petrol station, shops and offices a stone’s throw away from the proposed Carlisle Northern Development Route – the city’s western bypass planned for completion in 2010. The plan was given planning consent last year and Mr Scowcroft is expected to name an operator to run the venture soon. At the same time, another luxury hotel scheme, in nearby Parkhouse Road, was turned down. A rival plan, by west Cumbrian businessman Bill Dobie, was also tossed out by planners. His Dobies Cumbria car dealership wanted to build a 96-bedroom four-star hotel between Parkhouse Road and the A74. The proposals were criticised by the council’s urban design officer, Roger Higgins, as “banal” and lacking in detail. Another scheme in the mix comes from auction mart group H&H. The business has planning consent for a luxury hotel at Rosehill, though there has been no announcement as to who might run it. A four-star resort has long been seen as key to the economic redevelopment of Carlisle and north Cumbria. Ian McNichol, the council’s director of Carlisle Renaissance, has previously said he hoped one could be built at Rickergate as part of the proposed redevelopment scheme there. Mike Mitchelson, leader of Carlisle City Council, said: “It’s vitally important we get good quality hotels in and around Carlisle. “One of the aspirations of the city is to improve conference facilities. “We still need a hotel and conference centre in the city centre to attract conference business. “The advantage of that is you get the business tourism through the week and then you have quality accommodation for weekend city breaks at the weekend. “If we could get one on the Civic Centre site that would be absolutely fantastic. It would be a figurehead piece for the city.” Eric Robson, chairman of Cumbria Tourism, agrees the need is critical. He said: “Cumbria needs five or six of these top-of-the-range hotels and we have been fighting for them for years. It is ludicrous that a city of this size doesn’t have a four-star hotel.” After signing the deal to sell the Lakes Court Hotel, Mr Crooks said the news it could go four-star was a huge boost for Carlisle. He added: “A four-star hotel is something Carlisle is lacking. The new operators want to it to go four-star and that would be fantastic for the city.” Should all the plans on the table go ahead, the city could go from no four-star establishments to four in the space of a few years. Realistically, the Lakes Court and Kingmoor plans appear the only ones likely to emerge before the end of the decade. The next step then would be a five-star venue and possibly even a six or seven-star – the controversial six and seven-star ratings are catching on in places like Dubai. Taken from News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] Face the public over Rickergate proposals SAVE Our Streets campaigners are demanding the council face the public and give them their say about Carlisle’s Renaissance proposals. The group, which is fighting plans to demolish homes in Warwick Street as part of the redevelopment of Rickergate, claims Renaissance plans are being pushed through without proper public consultation. Activists were planning a demonstration outside the Civic Centre today ahead of a Carlisle City Council meeting where the management of the scheme, with the promise of £160m of private investment to transform the face of Carlisle, will be discussed. It is proposed to hand over control of Renaissance to a board made up of members from the city and county councils, Northwest Development Agency, Cumbria Vision, and local businesses. But SOS chairman, Neil Irving claims the community is not represented and public consultation has so far been a “bit of a sham”. He believes the majority of residents across the city are opposed to bulldozing Rickergate. Mr Irving said: “There’s not much trust in the council. “We are saying they don’t want the public to be consulted because the people of Carlisle do not want this.” It was announced last month that schemes to redevelop Rickergate and Viaduct Estate were unlikely to start until 2010. Renaissance was launched following the 2005 floods and pledged to create 3,000 jobs and transform the face of Carlisle. Plans for Rickergate also involve the demolition of the Civic Centre, police and fire stations, and magistrates court. Shops, offices, and a luxury hotel could take their place. SOS believe homes on Corporation Road, Dixon Street, Peter Street and Clifford Street, could also be under threat of compulsory purchase. Secretary Elizabeth Allnutt added: “SOS members started by saving Rickergate. They now feel they are saving our city.” The group are demanding that a “well publicised” meeting be held in The Sands Centre Mr Irving said: “This is about democracy and accountability.” Council leader, Mike Mitchelson, was “very disappointed” with the statements from SOS. “Not least because we have taken a lot of time and effort in engaging with the SOS group over the last two years,” he said. “There has been a full-scale public consultation.” He also said the council wished homes in Corporation Road and Peter Street to remain. Mr Mitchelson said that some positions on the Renaissance management board would be open to anyone. A public inquiry into the Carlisle Local Plan began last July and will report next month, outlining what type of development could be built on the site. Taken from The Cumberland News / [Link] / [Back to top] City Renaissance work delayed until 2010 WORK on Carlisle Renaissance schemes to redevelop Rickergate and Viaduct Estate is unlikely to start until 2010, city council chiefs have admitted. Renaissance was launched as a response to the 2005 floods with promises it would create 3,000 jobs, bring £160m of private investment and transform the face of Carlisle. The Renaissance plans for Rickergate involve demolition of the Civic Centre, police and fire stations, magistrates court and homes in Warwick Street. In their place would come shops and offices, a tree-lined square and a luxury hotel. Viaduct Estate would get a waterfront office development and possibly an HQ for the University of Cumbria. The city council’s director of Renaissance, Ian McNichol, says obstacles have to be overcome before building work can begin in the middle of 2010. The public inquiry into the Carlisle Local Plan will report in March, outlining what sort of development will be allowed. A development brief can then be drawn up, taking six months, before the council advertises for a developer to build and deliver the schemes. Once appointed, this private developer will need to obtain detailed planning permission before bulldozers move in and work can begin. There could be further complications in Rickergate if English Heritage decides to list any buildings there, so preventing their demolition. Mr McNichol said: “You don’t turn a city on a sixpence. We are developing a long-term plan for Carlisle.” City council leader Mike Mitchelson announced plans last month to speed up the process by handing control of Renaissance to a new board. This will have nine members, one each from the city and county councils, Northwest Development Agency and Cumbria Vision, and five from local businesses. Mr Mitchelson said: “This is a partnership approach and a bold step for Carlisle. “The board will give us speed of decision making, stability, draw in private sector skills and, to a certain extent, depoliticise Renaissance.” The board will appoint a £75,000-a-year programme director to oversee Renaissance and replace Mr McNichol, whose secondment at the city council ends in the autumn. The director will lead a team of staff including three development managers and an urban designer, some of whom are already in place. Total funding for this Renaissance team will be £750,000 a year with the lion’s share coming from the Northwest Development Agency. However, there is some disquiet among opposition councillors that control of Renaissance is, in effect, being handed over to a board dominated by unelected business people. Denton Holme Labour councillor Paul Atkinson said: “We are democratically elected to represent people. Will this board be accountable to the city council? And why does it have to be private sector-led, not city council led?” Mr Mitchelson argues that an independent board is the model favoured by the Northwest Development Agency for major regeneration schemes. Carlisle MP Eric Martlew, among others, has become frustrated at the slow rate of progress. The Labour MP is strongly critical of the Conservative-run city council, which is leading Renaissance. He said: “If they’re saying 2010, there will be slippage. “It could be 2015 before we see visible change for the better. “It typifies the leadership of the council, plenty of words and consultation but no action.” Mr Mitchelson has hit back at Mr Martlew’s criticisms. He said: “The MP should have more sense. He should understand the process. I can understand frustrations but processes have to be gone through to get it right. “We are now on the edge of things ready to happen.” Mr Mitchelson says that Renaissance has already brought benefits including an economic strategy and a £1m support package for business. Work on a Renaissance scheme to improve Carlisle’s historic quarter, between English Street and the Castle, should start this year. And there are plans to enhance Court Square and the Citadel to create a better environment for visitors arriving in Carlisle by train. Taken from The News & Star / [Link] / [Back to top] |
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