Tesco / ASDA !!!

[amazon]

For those who like political intrigue Council Committee mini - reshuffle tonight. Place going on Planning Commitee. Town Hall Mole tells me Marple Mafia are chasing it.

Asda NO camp take note. SA & MC succumbing to pressure of election and pressure from MIA (MIA fantastic at raising public awareness but political savvy of heavyweight boxer) have contaminated beyond repair their vote via PREDETEMINATION SO  THEY'RE USELESS. CW same problem.

SI current AC chair so a bit messy. AB - maybe but might put his foot in his mouth, its a trait of his. If it's KD THEN I think that the NO'S can safely say that all local Councillors are in the NO camp - do you understand why Miss Marple and MIA? If you don't then its too difficult for me to explain.

What are you going on about .its going to be left as a land bank .

[finetimefontaine]

Mrs O

Could easily be true. No different than the local butcher or greengrocer not wanting Asda. You can't blame them and you couldn't blame the Councillor.

I have to say though you would think that being a Councillor, the Councillor would know that the chances of any developer coming forward to build a hotel on that site (UNLESS HE IS HAPPY TO LOSE ALL HIS MONEY VERY QUICKLY) are very remote. 

 

[sooty2]

One of the councillors is for a supermarket on Hibbert Lane to prevent a hotel being built on the site.The councillor does not want any competition to his/her business.

[finetimefontaine]

For those who like political intrigue Council Committee mini - reshuffle tonight. Place going on Planning Commitee. Town Hall Mole tells me Marple Mafia are chasing it.

Asda NO camp take note. SA & MC succumbing to pressure of election and pressure from MIA (MIA fantastic at raising public awareness but political savvy of heavyweight boxer) have contaminated beyond repair their vote via PREDETEMINATION SO  THEY'RE USELESS. CW same problem.

SI current AC chair so a bit messy. AB - maybe but might put his foot in his mouth, its a trait of his. If it's KD THEN I think that the NO'S can safely say that all local Councillors are in the NO camp - do you understand why Miss Marple and MIA? If you don't then its too difficult for me to explain.

[finetimefontaine]

Duke,

Oxford, Cambridge and Marple College, bless you! Not a comparison that immediately springs to mind - wouldn't you agree?

[finetimefontaine]

Hi just thought I would jog a few peoples memories.  CAMSFC were offered 9.5 million for the site from a company who were going to put a small supermarket and a housing development on the site.  I am unsure where the idea of only 1 million for housing has come from 

You've jogged my memory into amnesia cos I don't remember this - where, when and who?

[Dave]

I am unsure where the idea of only 1 million for housing has come from 

I seem to recall some time ago that we were told that the entire site was valued at about £4 million if used just for housing. So I was guesstimating that if they sold off part of the car park and the green space they might get a million for it? 

Students do pretty well at Oxbridge and those buildings are not brand new.

Duke, you do provide good entertainment value   .   The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge are some of the wealthiest organisations in the UK.  Trinity College Cambridge alone has a financial endowment of £700 million.  It owns the port of Felixstowe, Cambridge Science Park, and part of the O2 Arena.   Like many other Oxbridge colleges it occupies Grade 1 listed buldings of enormous historical and architectural importance.  And it has more than enough money to maintain them in the manner to which they have become accustomed over the centuries.

The idea that a small local sixth form college, occupying a converted pre-war secondary modern school  building, could be compared in any way with that is hilarious! 

[Miss Marple]

Hi just thought I would jog a few peoples memories.  CAMSFC were offered 9.5 million for the site from a company who were going to put a small supermarket and a housing development on the site.  I am unsure where the idea of only 1 million for housing has come from 

[Duke Fame]

Hibbert Lane buildings, which are outdated and unsuitable.  It was built eighty years ago as a secondary school - very different layout and requirements compared with the 21st century curriculum of a 6th form college, needless to say.  And they will have to divert precious (and diminishing) funds to repairing, heating and maintaining inefficient premises - funds which ought to be used for teaching our youngsters. 

I know you feel it's needless to say but I had to pop into the place a few months ago and I thought it was fine. All double glazed, ceilings pretty high and classrooms / lecture theatres were not unlike that at any university.

I suspect this inefficient building is a bad excuse for poor performance. Students do pretty well at Oxbridge and those buildings are not brand new.

[finetimefontaine]

Dave,

Thanks for your efforts Dave, greatly appreciated.

As with most of the time you put forward a clear logical opinion.
 
I'm trying to resist taking a narrow, entrenched point of view but nevertheless, can't say that I'm convinced that we're not heading for an abandoned site in 1 to 3 years if Asda pull out. 

[hollins]

Are you referring to the financial report for the year ending July 31st 2009 - surely a bit out of date by now?  Could you post a link to the more recent OFSTED report which said it was 'outstanding'?

See:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/130515
You probably require the October 2009 report. The later one is in a limited area only (although MiA still felt like lobbying it).

I think the grades are more "Satisfactory" than "Outstanding" - but they are better than Marple Hall's.

[Dave]

Are you referring to the financial report for the year ending July 31st 2009 - surely a bit out of date by now?  Could you post a link to the more recent OFSTED report which said it was 'outstanding'?

Sorry, it wasn't an Ofsted it was a YPLA audit - so many quangos   .  Here's a reference to it in the college's most recent statement about its plans:  http://www.camsfc.ac.uk/cmsfc-about.asp?AboID=90

As you see, it includes the following: 'The managers of the College [achieved] excellence in financial management from “Young People’s Learning Agency” (YPLA) in a recent audit.'

What IYHO do you think will happen to the site if Asda do not get panning permission?

Nothing.  The college will simply soldier on as best they can in the present Hibbert Lane buildings.    I reckon the best they can hope for in his eventuality is that they could sell off part of the car park and green space for housing, which might raise a million?   That could be put to good use doing some relatively minor extensions and improvements to their existing estate, but it's nowhere near enough for them to be able to fully replace the Hibbert Lane buildings, which are outdated and unsuitable.  It was built eighty years ago as a secondary school - very different layout and requirements compared with the 21st century curriculum of a 6th form college, needless to say.  And they will have to divert precious (and diminishing) funds to repairing, heating and maintaining inefficient premises - funds which ought to be used for teaching our youngsters. 

[Duke Fame]

It's not escaped my attention  with the pictures outside the college with the campaign 'THINK AGAIN' do they think we are fools ?

Maybe they just feel that Hibbert Lane isn't suitable for a big supermarket. They seem damned if they do & damned if they don't.

[mabel]

Are you referring to the financial report for the year ending July 31st 2009 - surely a bit out of date by now?  Could you post a link to the more recent OFSTED report which said it was 'outstanding'?

[amazon]

[You're quite right there is no evidence for what I say but there isn't any for what you say either.

Well here's the evidence for the College's finances being sound:  http://www.camsfc.ac.uk/assets/file/Annual_reports/Annual_Rep_08_09_lr.pdf

In addition, a fairly recent Ofsted inspection graded their financial position as 'outstanding', I believe.  So we know that the College is not disposing of the site because they are in any financial difficulty.

In answer to your question....

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE WON'T END UP IN TWO YEARS WITH A VANDALISED ABANDONED SITE?

... we don't KNOW anything for sure, but that outcome is so improbable that we can safely disregard it.  This is because the College can not afford to (indeed, would not be allowed to) close courses or deliberately reduce student numbers.  So they will not sell the site unless they can get enough money for it to build sufficient replacement accommodation on the Buxton Lane site.  And no-one would buy it for £12 million or any other significant sum and then let it become a wasteland.  I understand the point about the site being bought up to be a 'land bank', but AFAIK that is usually done as a 'blocking move', when a big supermarket chain (e.g. Asda) buys up land to stop another big chain (e.g. Tesco) from opening up in competition with them.  The only supermarket in that position round here would be the Co-op.  Can anyone see them doing that?  Me neither......   

Where I do agree with you, finetime, is here:

We can't know for sure until we see agreement details but what has probably occurred is that Asda have bought it subject to obtaining PP and if they don't get it ownership reverts back to MCSFC.

Asda might know something about.tesco .          we don't who bought all that land at hawk green just past the green on the left . Recently been sold