Mackem Tommy
Striker
Good to finally see things rolling. Hopefully people can now get over the 'it's been 20 years' stuff and move forward.
Vaux site......
- Thread starter citybythesea
- Start date
S
Sid James Park
Guest
Yeah pity its about 15 this side of christmasses too late.
Osklen
Winger
Yes I understand that but the council didn’t own the land 20 or 15 years ago. Sadly I doubt we will ever fully understand whether the council could have acquired it at the time or whether they stepped aside for another developer.
Regardless it’s not the same people around now as back then.
42
Striker
And yet despite all of your protests you have zero answers for alternative options.
S
Sid James Park
Guest
Of course the labour council should have purchased the site in 1999/2000.Excuses excuses.....stop it !
Wilfy
Striker
Who do you think has deeper pockets, the council or tesco?
Osklen
Winger
Sorry but I honestly don’t know if they were able to purchase it and that is my honest answer. Can you categorically say that SCC chose not to and had the opportunity to out bid Tesco?
the boot
Winger
There was ten year of legal wrangling and sc blocked many planning applications at the time which suggests they could have or why block planning. I’m sure I read tesco finally sell Sunderland council the Vaux site after ten years of trying.
Osklen
Winger
Yeah I understand that they did that to allow them to compulsory purchase the site, basically by stopping retail on the site it meant the site was of no use to Tesco and thus pushing them to sell the land to SCC. I was wondering more if they had an opportunity to acquire the land at the time the site was originally sold by whitbread I think?
I understand that the arc at the time basically pissed Tesco off by telling them that they’ll CPO the site which meant Tesco gave two fingers too then and that they wouldn’t treat with Sunderland Arc at all.
42
Striker
You havent like. Ive asked 4 times now & avoid answering every time. Instead just giving a list of things the shouldnt have done
Just been watching apprentice & sugar has said the same thing about criticism & solutions.
And stop repeating Lens tedious crack. Its another classic example of having no answers. Get challenged on something? Must be one of them..
Paddy O'Dors
Striker
Seeing as you have a trial date in February for abusing and harassing politicians on social media I thought you might be keeping a low profile on the internet Len.
the boot
Winger
Not to sound rambling but I can see lens point like. It’s easy for a labour council to blame government funding but tbf, Vaux shut under a labour government and local labour council, it was bought by Tesco’s under the same regime. It just feels like when the Tory’s got in it all changed. The site was bought back and now tenants are moving into the building, the bridge is up and the new road on the way. It just seems in the last few years this Tory government have ploughed money into the city.
Me personally I think people up here vote like they support the footie team ‘till they die” which is silly.
If the local council want to take credit for what is happening in the city atm surely they should brunt some of the blame for the bad things but they seem to blame (like many on here) central Tory government cuts, or the cuts from the Tory government before. People need to look to the future when voting and going back on what’s happened to the Vaux site and the strides the city is making now it involves the Tory’s unfortunately.
Me personally I think people up here vote like they support the footie team ‘till they die” which is silly.
If the local council want to take credit for what is happening in the city atm surely they should brunt some of the blame for the bad things but they seem to blame (like many on here) central Tory government cuts, or the cuts from the Tory government before. People need to look to the future when voting and going back on what’s happened to the Vaux site and the strides the city is making now it involves the Tory’s unfortunately.
Paddy O'Dors
Striker
Whether you have a Labour council or a Tory council wouldn't really make a lot of difference. The biggest factor holding Sunderland (and the North East in general) back is geography imho. Another brake that has been taken off Sunderland developing is not being part of the remit of a regional development agency in 2012 and having much more autonomy in the decisions it makes/takes.
And funding for the bridge was secured in 2009 when there was a Labour government.
royaldragon
Winger
It's true that the initial funding was secured under a Labour government, but after the failed Iconic bridge project, I think the whole thing had to get resubmitted, under a Conservative government which obviously was granted, the new bridge also had to survive a spending review under the Austority review which both Labour and Conservative political parties insisted was required after the financial crash.
Osklen
Winger
In fairness I’m not sure the council could have bought the site before 2011 as an agreement in principal was only reached in 2010, however most of the funding I believe came from One North East and Homes & Communities Agency anyway.
Sunderland City Council buys former Vaux brewery site http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wear-12577135
That is not to say that the council chose not to acquire the site in the 1998/98 when it closed and we’re happy for Tesco or someone else to development the site at that time. if that was the case then that is the labour council of that times fault. After that then they are always playing catch up but it is not the same labour council now as then. Equally would the other parties at the time acquired it? Who knows?
But you are right it’s time for people to move on from that and look to what is now being delivered.
Paddy O'Dors
Striker
I don't think it had to get resubmitted but the Tories did pull a lot of funding for infrastructure projects in 2010. I think the Tories did tell them to get a shift on though or they'd lose it.
Hep
Striker
how many years since the council acquired it?
Osklen
Winger
I believe the concept for the bridge and case for it has been ongoing for probably 20 years or more. The original design of the iconic element of the bridge was agreed back in 2005 I think. People are having a swipe at the council for trying to deliver an iconic bridge but then slating them for lacking any sort of ambition.
8 years.
