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Post by Jeros on Oct 7, 2018 14:11:56 GMT
I Agree
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Post by Lake on Oct 17, 2018 7:50:12 GMT
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Post by hatterinSW19 on Oct 17, 2018 12:27:56 GMT
And a rather excellent letter from Gary Sweet in the Luton News...
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Post by 8two on Oct 17, 2018 20:10:39 GMT
A MOMENTOUS WEEK OF VICTORIES FOR LUTON IN THE BATTLE AGAINST CAPITAL & REGIONAL
This has been a momentous week for Luton and 2020 Developments in the battle against Capital & Regional’s disgraceful opposition to planning applications which will ensure we achieve regeneration for your town and a new stadium for your football club.
• First, we hear confirmation of the purchase by 2020 Developments of the final ‘packages’ of land around Power Court from Luton Borough Council.
• Then, Intu, one of the biggest owners of shopping malls and retail property management in the UK, withdraws its objection to the Newlands Park development which will fund our new stadium.
• Meanwhile, Capital & Regional, operators of The Mall, the remaining major objector to regeneration for Luton, has seen its share price continue to tumble....and 2020 Developments CEO Gary Sweet publicly debunks C&R’s suggestion that they have offered cash or ‘in kind’ support for Power Court. Yet another example of C&R being ‘economical with the truth’!
• Finally, it is revealed that C&R’s claimed support for Power Court is based on using taxpayers’ money to fund the development, which is both laughable and outrageous, given that 2020’s regeneration plans will be funded entirely by the private sector.
It’s been a really positive week for all of the communities in and around Luton who massively support the plans for Power Court and Newlands Park, with the 10,000 new jobs and £250million annual boost to the local economy they’ll bring - along with new facilities and attractions we can all be proud of. With the new land purchases the whole Power Court site is now under one ownership for the first time in many a decade. And the funding was from existing 2020 Development shareholders – not from the public purse (take note, C&R!).
This means that what we’re all waiting for now is the ‘green light’ of planning approval from LBC– and a significant potential obstacle to that has also disappeared this week, with Intu withdrawing its objection to Newlands Park.
Intu Properties is one of the biggest retail property landlords in the country, operating major shopping malls including those in Milton Keynes and Watford. They had ‘highlighted issues’ and objected to Newlands Park in 2016 and May 2018. Now they’ve seen the recent retail reports on the applications, they are ‘comfortable with the suggested mix of tenants’ and ‘with the distinctive aspirational mix of uses, Intu is prepared to withdraw its previous submissions made in relation to these proposals’ (quotes are from a letter to LBC from Intu’s official agents, Lichfields).
Intu’s status and integrity as market leaders makes these statements even more impressive and authoritative. It is pretty much unprecedented in the sector for an objection to be withdrawn like this. Intu had genuine concerns for the impact on the communities they serve, they looked into those concerns and found them to be satisfactorily answered. That’s what a decent, responsible organisation does.
What a contrast with Capital & Regional’s response to those retail reports!
Intu says that the ‘retail impact on the centres within the surrounding region can be sustained’. C&R says it can’t! So who are we to believe?
Anyone familiar with what has been happening over the last two years will know that C&R has been employing all sorts of dirty tricks and misinformation to – in their own words – kick the regeneration plans for Luton ‘into the long grass’. Recently those dirty tricks and delaying tactics have included lots of last minute requests to the council for additional reports and information. It would be interesting to know how much dealing with that has cost the public purse – that’s us, the Luton taxpayers and the communities C&R laughably claim to care about.
Speaking of the public purse, Gary Sweet’s letter highlights yet another example of C&R misinformation and malpractice. They stated in last week’s Luton News that ‘We have previously offered to help support 2020’s Power Court application and we take this opportunity to re-affirm that offer once again.’ Not so! Gary’s response starts by saying that ‘we do not need any further assistance in funding our stadium’. It goes on to point out that Luton Borough Council’s CEO chaired a meeting in April which all parties agreed would remain confidential but that on a number of occasions C&R has broken that agreement.
That has led to Gary needing to directly respond to the C&R claims – and what a damning response it is.
It seems that C&R are of the opinion that funding for the stadium could come from other sources rather than the Newlands Park mixed-use development...but that every source of funding they suggested ultimately came from the public purse. Not their money, but ours, in the shape of additional taxation of local businesses or the general public. So much for them ‘helping’!
2020 are rightly proud that that they have never, and will never, ask for public funding for Power Court and Newlands Park. Gary Sweet goes on to say that they have never had any funding offers made to them by C&R – neither do they need them.
Unlike the operators of The Mall, 2020 Developments are all about supporting the communities of Luton: with a new stadium for the football club, new facilities and a new pride in the town centre and a state-of-the-art ‘gateway’ to the town, all of which will generate thousands of new jobs, boost local finances enormously and make our town an even better place to live in. All at no cost to local taxpayers. As fans of LTFC and of the town we all love, we can’t wait for it all to happen!
Here’s to more good news over the coming weeks!
Tony Murray, Chair Luton Town Supporters' Trust Mark Bradbury, Chair Loyal Luton Supporters Club
PS Great to see the #saveourtown banners and campaign featured on Sky TV, too - live from Barnsley!
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Post by proudhattersince74 on Oct 18, 2018 10:01:51 GMT
The phrase "it's like watching a slow motion C&R crash" springs to mind.
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Post by maggiechow on Oct 18, 2018 16:09:16 GMT
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Post by maggiechow on Nov 6, 2018 13:51:39 GMT
The Westgate shopping centre and the developers of Houghton Regis North have both objected to Newlands Park, the latter to Power Court too. The former looks as though it's been written by a 10-year-old, containing such gems as Junction 10 of the M10.
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Post by greeno on Nov 6, 2018 14:20:08 GMT
Can we object to them?
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Post by maggiechow on Nov 6, 2018 15:53:38 GMT
I think you could probably object to HR North.
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Post by 8two on Nov 24, 2018 12:08:33 GMT
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Post by maggiechow on Dec 6, 2018 7:36:48 GMT
Breaking news A decision will be given on Power Court on 16th January, and on Newlands Park on 30th January
COME ON YOU HATTERS!
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Post by Lake on Dec 6, 2018 8:30:07 GMT
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Post by rutlandhatter on Dec 6, 2018 14:47:13 GMT
It is disappointing, though understandable, that the two applications are being taken separately, especially as the enabling application (Newlands) is being taken second. If I was a conspiracy theorist I would be saying this undermines LTFC.
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Post by spence on Dec 6, 2018 20:03:10 GMT
cant help thinking that by splitting the applications and the decisions we will get one approval and one rejection
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Post by tassie on Dec 6, 2018 21:48:21 GMT
Yes I agree. Splitting the applications, and the order in which they will be dealt with, doesn't inspire much confidence.
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