News of the campaign in York, England
25th October 2006 - Double whammy for Barbican campaign
Today is a very black day for the Save Our Barbican campaign. The Council
recently passed yet two more amendments to the Barbican scheme's planning
permission. These "variations" are the latest of several which,
in our opinion have changed the Barbican development so much that it is now
unrecognisable from the original scheme.
One of these applications is called a Section 73 and its intention is to make it easier and quicker for Absolute Leisure Ltd to make an absolute nightmare out of the Barbican buildings.
View
the attached artist's impression which was produced as part of ABSOLUTE LEISURE'S
propaganda. If this monstrous scheme is not a night club then what is it?
Consider that Absolute Leisure's Council friends, the ruling Liberal Democrats, have granted them every conceivable licence possible, including permission to sell alcohol in almost every inch of this gigantic, and soon to be larger, complex.
Please, also bear in mind the references and Council suggestions of a casino for the site. Ernest Dickinson and Raymond Cooper are the witnesses who Tony Knox informed of his intention to open a casino in the Barbican buildings "as soon as legislation allows!
The second application, called a Section 106, was intended to rubber stamp the breaking of the LIB DEM electoral pledge to build a replacement pool on the Barbican site. Predictably both applications were passed due to the LIB DEM dominance on the Council.
Both decisions are disgraceful, but the latter especially so, as we believe that it confirms that the Lib Dems either lied to get elected or have cynically broken a solemn election promise for the sake of expediency.
Save Our Barbican and others applied to Government Office for Yorkshire & Humber to have both decisions reviewed by the Secretary of State.
We have today learned that our request has been refused.
Furthermore, many of you will know that Save Our Barbican supporters had applied to the Court of Appeal to grant an appeal against the June 2005 Judicial Review decision. If granted, we were confident that such an appeal would go a long way to righting what we consider a great injustice.
We have learned today that a Judge of the Court of Appeal, the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Brooke, has refused us permission for an appeal.
The Judge stated in his order that he has great sympathy for the funding difficulties that caused so much delay, but basically, the Judge has decided that we are too far out of time to be able to appeal.
No wonder we're called SOB!!
29th September 2006 - Appeal to Government Office
Disappointed, but unsurprised, at the City of York Council's decision to ditch
the replacement swimming pool, Save Our Barbican campaign vowed to appeal
to Government Office for Yorkshire & Humber to have the decision scrutinised
by an independent Planning Inspector and determined by the Secretary of State.
28th September 2006 - SoB lobbies York Council meeting
Save Our Barbican supporters turned out in force at York Guildhall to protest
at the Council's attempt to renege on its promise to build a replacement swimming
pool at the Barbican Centre. Despite impassioned speeches from members of
Save Our Barbican, York Sport & Leisure campaign, Fishergate Planning
Panel and members of the Labour and Green Parties, the result of the meeting
was a foregone conclusion. The ruling Party steamrollered the plan through
and broke it's promise to retain a swimming pool on the Barbican site. Councillors
Ann Reid, Ceridig Jamieson-Ball, and Ian Cuthbertson were very rude about
members of the public who had signed a petition objecting to the plan to jettison
the Barbican swimming pool.
13th September 2006 - Flawed tendering?
The disposal of the main York Barbican buildings to Absolute Leisure Ltd is
a major concern. Save Our Barbican raises questions about the tendering for
the deal, the terms of lease offered and the use of the Barbican Centre buildings.
See our sections on "Absolute
Leisure's plans", "The
lease offered", "Fair
Tendering", and "Casino,
what casino?" as well as the section on "Licensing".
New information has now come to light on the tendering for the Barbican buildings
deal. Read
a copy of the letter sent recently to the District Auditor.
Is the cat out of the bag? Email us with your comments.
2nd September 2006 - Object to no pool "variation"
The Save Our Barbican group, York Sport & Leisure Campaign, and others
have asked concerned York residents to write to the Council to object to the
"variation order" for which which the developers are asking. This
would mean that the developers can get away without building a replacement
swimming pool for the pools which they intend to knock down.