Dizzy Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Does anyone know if there's any truth in the rumours that are going round that the former Quadrant House / C J Bents building on Church Street is to be demolished ? Surely the council wouldn't allow it to be demolished if it is true as it's a great looking building and one that should be kept and isn't it in the Church Street conservation area ? Saying that I don't think it's listed or anything.I know it was sold but I though it was being converted into affordable apartments. Fingers crossed the rumours are wrong !!I wonder how old it actually is as it's on an old aerial photo dated 1920 so must be at least around 100 years old if not older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey_man Posted May 22, 2015 Report Share Posted May 22, 2015 Dizzy This will be decided by a man who not only is known to continue the council's tradition of allowing the planning team to break the law without consequence but even thinks nothing of desecrating sites that date back to ancient Rome. The council might do less damage to Warrington's heritage by employing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to head up the planning function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugtifino Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Crikey, that bad eh? Who is this man of which you speak? It is a landmark building and I hope it isn't knocked down. I've only been in the building once, which was to get some otherwise obscure drill bit. It felt like my natural home. That's my CJ Bent story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 There's nothing on the councils interactive planning map showing an application for demolition and although planning approval for demolition possibly wouldn't have to be applied for as it's not listed I'm sure some sort of application has to be approved by the council with regards to the logistics etc as it's right next to a main road. When the owners of Mr Smiths wanted to demolish that they put in an application for demolition and so did the owners of the round fronted warehouse on the corner of Parker Street and Sankey Street (that had an application for demolition and also a conservation area application for demolition too)Maybe the rumours are unfounded for the Bents Building demolition after all........ I hope PS Fugs... do I sense a touch of sarcasm there in your reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey_man Posted May 23, 2015 Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Crikey, that bad eh? Who is this man of which you speak? It is a landmark building and I hope it isn't knocked down. I've only been in the building once, which was to get some otherwise obscure drill bit. It felt like my natural home. That's my CJ Bent story. I think the point is that Warrington is to be made the blandest town in the UK on the say so of somebody who would sell his own mother to build a cluster of 'executive' homes. We know - don't we? - that there are no consequences in the public sector for allowing children to be raped on an industrial scale, so I guess we should be grateful we're merely lumbered with a man who has no regard for the law or ancient history so the chance of saving a building of mild local historic interest are zero. Still, we can all look forward to more flats, chain shops and restaurants and bland apartments not to mention a £50 million cinema from a supposedly broke council. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2015 Good grief Grey_man, how on earth does the abhorrent rape of young children come into this? I'm very tempted to just delete that but as I may be the only one reading the point you are tying to make wrong I will give you a short time to explain before I do or don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fugtifino Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I think I'm as flummoxed as you are there, Diz, but no, I wasn't being sarcastic, just wasn't much of a story at all really. Apart from the tool porn.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 That building was actually Ryland's offices & is the last surviving bricks & mortar link with the famous old manufacturer. That's where you wage query was sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I didn't know that, thanks Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I had a word with the site forman on Saturday who informed me that they are stripping the inside and that the project is to allow the building to be converted to apartments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Phew and that's good news Algy and what I thought was happening until all the rumours started going round. Someone said they too had asked one of the workers last week and that he said it was all coming down... maybe someone should tell him quick I was near there yesterday and was going to ask but there wasn't anyone there so thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 I had a word with the site forman on Saturday who informed me that they are stripping the inside and that the project is to allow the building to be converted to apartments. Oh yes... we desperately need more flats don't we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 ....... at least 250,000 per year !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 So they say but that's one heck of a lot a year to need and where on earth will they all go... ahh yes of course all along the banks of the canal & river and every other little piece of available land round here. Aren't they building a load of others (for rent?) just up the road from there too on the large plot of land near the junction of Farrell Street and many other houses and flats have been built not far from there too but nothing has ever changed re the roads. Saying all that that I'd much rather see the old Bents building converted to flats than knocking down and doubt they will fit many in there anyway so it wont make a difference to the traffic.Anyway....daft question but wouldn't the owners have to apply for planning permission for change of use to housing ? Seems daft to rip all the insides out before knowing it would be approved but I guess it depends how much they are ripping out.I'd have liked to have looked round it before they started to see what old features, if any, were still in it. Anyone ever been in ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted May 25, 2015 Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 Dizz, they had a rubble chute from an upper window down to a skip which is always a good sign as if it was to be demolished they would use either a wrecking ball or a hydrawlic claw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2015 There were no chutes there when I went past just and few unboarded windows and some huge skips. If they had have been demolishing it though (which obviously they aren't from what you have said) then no way could they have just got a huge wrecking ball or claw in cos they would have had to close the roads for safety Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey_man Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 It's very simple Dizzy. We have a political culture in the UK that means nobody in a position of authority - both elected and unelected - is ever held to account for their role in the most horrendous acts, so we can't expect them to be accountable for trivial issues either. You only have to look at Warrington Borough Council to see the truth of that. Without such accountability we cannot expect better of them. For example, if the Government goes ahead with its right to buy plans for Housing Associations and WBC's commitment to lend them tens of millions of pounds unravels, who will be held accountable for that? We already know the answer, even though it will be us picking up the bill. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Ahh I get it now grey_man and apologies re my post questioning what you meant and looking back yes I can see it meant that too now. You are correct and there is no accountability at all although in the case of WBC they have on occasion issued global 'oops sorry, lessons learned' statements...... which are clearly forgotten by the next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Think you've cited part of the problem Grey: too many fingers in the pie and no focus for blame. EG: Rightly or wrongly WBC made a decision on loans for Housing Assoc; then central Gov have come along to micro-manage Housing with their "right to buy" legislation; which imo is the very opposite of what's needed. Housing policy and many other areas of policy should be devolved to LAs; making LAs more politically relevant and keeping central Gov out of the equation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 I think a bit of action regarding this may build quite a few houses. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/26/landlords-14bn-tax-breaks-buy-to-let-expansion-mortgage-interest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Parish Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 No planning application it seems for conversion to apartments. "Thanks" to the Government's recent planning changes, conversion of shops/offices to residential may not need change of use but it still needs prior notification. I'll check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted May 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks Steve P. I did get the name of the company yesterday who are 'said' to be turning it into flats along with a snippet of other info someone gave elsewhere (I think it was mentioned that they would be social housing or affordable) but can't find my bit of paper I wrote it on at the moment. I will look again in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Parish Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 No planning application it seems for conversion to apartments. "Thanks" to the Government's recent planning changes, conversion of shops/offices to residential may not need change of use but it still needs prior notification. I'll check. Wrong again... The application 2014/23050 didn't appear on the interactive map but it was approved last year, for "supported living accommodation for vulnerable adults with a range of mental, learning and physical disabilities. The service users will not only have the benefit of their own apartment, but will also have 24 hour support on site, provided by Lifeways, a domiciliary support provider." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Wrong again... The application 2014/23050 didn't appear on the interactive map but it was approved last year, for "supported living accommodation for vulnerable adults with a range of mental, learning and physical disabilities. The service users will not only have the benefit of their own apartment, but will also have 24 hour support on site, provided by Lifeways, a domiciliary support provider." Well at least that is a good use of the building instead of turning it into expensive apartments like they did at Bewsey Old Hall or into a hotel like was sneakily planned for Walton Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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