| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Glisening Water Restaurant -Closed - Ferry Quays | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 27/01/13 00:20:00 |
| This is why councils play such a dangerous and foolish game by having 'developer partners'. The 'partners' only do this because it increases their chances of getting what they want and maximising their profit. This tried and tested method generally walks all over local residents and effectively 'buys' policy and councillors and their officers. And currently none of this is illegal. The problem is that many of these big developers are fronts for very shaky ventures with dodgy finances and usually they go into liquidation. They usually rise again but cleverly are no longer bound by original agreements so can do what they like. Ealing Broadway has two examples of this where financial based institutions own 2 centres and a lot of land. One owner got so greedy with rents and service charges that the centre almost collapsed. It now changes hands regularly. Credit to Ealing that Councillors have in the main have stood firm against the onslaught of applications that would turn the place into Croydon. But very very few of these big developments actually deliver the promise of Eden. Huge rents and charges, parking charges to residents so high that they park in neighbouring streets and horrid empty areas devoid of any sort of healthy community. The blame is with councils and officers who just cannot see the wheat for the chaff. They need to be named, shamed and voted out irrespective of party colours. It is simply not good enough to shrug shoulders and move on to the next development issue. |