What’s happening to Birkenhead Market in 2018?

What’s happening to Birkenhead Market in 2018?

What’s happening to Birkenhead Market in 2018?

                                              

Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1
Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1

Following two recent stories in the Liverpool Echo Birkenhead Market traders say they feel “ignored” over plans for new town market (3rd March 2018) and Inside Birkenhead Market: What traders think about Wirral Council’s plans to revamp it (4th March 2018), I thought it was time to write a piece about Birkenhead Market and its relationship with its landlord Wirral Council.

Wirral Council’s Cabinet met on the 18th December 2017 and agenda item 10 was titled “Strategic Acquisition Programme – Birkenhead Market”. One of the councillors on the Cabinet (Cllr Phil Davies) is also a ward councillor for the ward of Birkenhead and Tranmere that Birkenhead Market is situated in.
Continue reading “What’s happening to Birkenhead Market in 2018?”

Wirral Council’s Cabinet agree 150 year lease for fire station in Saughall Massie

Wirral Council’s Cabinet agree 150 year lease for fire station in Saughall Massie

Wirral Council’s Cabinet agree 150 year lease for fire station in Saughall Massie

                                    

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Cabinet (Wirral Council) 27th November 2017 Agenda Item 5 –
Disposal of Land at Saughall Massie Road to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service starts at 7:42

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) site visit Saughall Massie fire station 18th July 2017
Planning Committee (Wirral Council) site visit Saughall Massie fire station 18th July 2017 (this is the site for the proposed fire station)

Wirral Council’ Cabinet this morning agreed to a 150 year lease to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority of land it owns in Saughall Massie for a new fire station.

During the meeting, Cllr Phil Davies referred to a petition opposing the lease started by Cllr Chris Blakeley (who is a councillor for the area concerned).
Continue reading “Wirral Council’s Cabinet agree 150 year lease for fire station in Saughall Massie”

Wirral Council’s Cabinet recommended to grant 150 year lease for fire station at Saughall Massie

Wirral Council’s Cabinet recommended to grant 150 year lease for fire station at Saughall Massie

Wirral Council’s Cabinet recommended to grant 150 year lease for fire station at Saughall Massie

                                             

Councillor George Davies (Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety) and Chair of the Birkenhead Constituency Committee 28th July 2016
Councillor George Davies (Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety) 28th July 2016

Wirral Council’s Cabinet will meet in public in Committee Room 1, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Seacombe, CH44 8ED on Monday 27th November 2017 (starting at 10.00 am) to decide on a recommendation to grant a 150 year lease to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority for a fire station at Saughall Massie.
Continue reading “Wirral Council’s Cabinet recommended to grant 150 year lease for fire station at Saughall Massie”

UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease

UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease

UPDATED: Cabinet to decide on Birkenhead Market lease next month

                                                                  

07/10/2015 19:01 Although at the time this was written a decision was expected by Wirral Council’s Cabinet on Birkenhead Market in October 2015, Wirral Council have since this story was written put back a decision on this matter to November 2015. This story was originally published on 8th September 2015, but has been updated on the 7th October.

Last Friday, Wirral Council added a new item to their Forward Plan (the Forward Plan is a list of upcoming topics that decisions will be made on) called Birkenhead Market – Lease. It’s down for a decision to be made by Wirral Council’s Cabinet in OctoberNovember 2015.

Further details can be found on Wirral Council’s website, but it’s a key decision because of the “significant people impact”.

It will be at least 28 days (which doesn’t include the 4th September 2015 or the date of the Cabinet meeting) so the earliest Cabinet meeting this could be decided at is the one on the 8th October 2015 this could be decided is November 2015.

First the history of the matter. Cabinet in a behind closed doors meeting on 5th December 2002 after a bidding process awarded the bid for market operator for Birkenhead Market to Mr. Lawrence Embra. However the minute text states very little detail.

It’s been a while since I read the Birkenhead Market lease and I’ve no idea which aspect of the lease the upcoming Cabinet decision relates to. UPDATED: 12/9/15 Wirral Council confirm that this is about the rents.

However this is where is starts to get complicated.

There’s a sublease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Birkenhead Market Services Limited for part of the ground floor of the Birkenhead Market Hall.

There’s an underlease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Wirral Borough Council.

Finally (well almost finally) there’s a lease between Birkenhead Market Limited and Wirral Borough Council for the premises at Birkenhead Market, Birkenhead. It’s part of this last document (without schedules and one of the plans) that are below.

The schedules*(see below) detail the history for each market stall followed by plans. The first plan (unfortunately Crown copyright) shows the Birkenhead Market Hall and the surrounding road system (which is similar to this plan on Wirral Council’s website. It shows what the half-width of the Birkenhead Market Service Road is, there are then internal plans of the market and the layout of the toilets.

*The schedules are a table with the following column headings: date, nature of document (such as tenancy agreement, copy assignment, licence to assign/change of user and memorandum of rent review), parties and document numbers. These are for the following market stalls A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, B41 and B56, B42, B43 and B54, B45 and B46, B47/50, B48 and B49, B51, B52, B55, C97/112, C98 and C99, C100, C101, C102 and C107, C103 & C106, C104, C105, C108, C109, C110, C111, CP1/2, CP3, CP4, CP5, CP6, CP7, CP8, CP9, CP10, CP11, CP12, CP13, CP14/15, CP16, CP17, CP18, CP20, CP21, CP22 & CP23 & CP24, CP26, CP27, CP28, CP29, D9, D10/11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18/19, D20, D21/D22, D23/24, D25, D26/27, D28, D29/30, D31, D32, D33, D34/35, D36, D37/38, D37 & D38, D39, D40, E57/58, E59, E60, E61, E62, E63, E64/65, E66, E67, E68, E69, E70, E71, E72, E73, E74, E75, E76, E77, E78, E79, E80, E81, E83, E84, E85, E86, E87/88, E89, E90, E91, E92, E93, E94, E95, E96, F113, F114 and F115 and F139, F116, F117, F118, F120, F121, F122, F123, F130, F124, F125 and F128, F126, F127, F129, F133, F134 and F135, F136, F137 and F138, F140, F141, F142, F143, F144, F145, F146, F148, F150 and F151, F152 and F153, F154, F155, F156, F157, F158 and F159, F162 and 163, F165, F167, F168, G20, G23, G24, G25, G26, G27, G28 and G29, P4, P5, P6, P7 and P8, P9, P10, P11, P12, P13, P14, P15, P16, P17 and P18, P19, P36, P37 and P38, P39, P40 and P41, P42 and P43, P44 and P45, P46, G30, G31, G32, G33, G34, G35, P1 and P2, P3, P47, P48 and P48 and V2. Now you’ve seen how long this list is you’ll understand why I didn’t scan these pages in too (but it goes some way to explain the significant people impact).

I realise the plans can be hard to read so each plan should be linked to a higher resolution version. The thumbnails of the lease pages seem readable so I have left them as they are. Hopefully more will be known nearer the time as to what specifically this decision is about.

Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1 of 2 thumbnail
Birkenhead Market lease cover page Birkenhead Market Limited Wirral Borough Council page 1 of 2 thumbnail

Continue reading “UPDATED: Cabinet to make decision next month on Birkenhead Market lease”

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

FOI response details reasons why Fort Perch Rock car park charging plans were opposed

                                                 

Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015 Photo 1 of 3
Fort Perch Rock car park 29th June 2015

After the U-turn last month on car parking charges at Fort Perch Rock car park, New Brighton I made a Freedom of Information request for the objections made during the consultation period.

In addition to a petition of objection which when the consultation finished had 876 signatures but now has 4,010 signatures there were nineteen written objections which included a thirteen page letter sent on behalf of the Wilkie Leisure Group.

Objectors referred to pay and display parking in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead and the reduction in visitors once charges for parking had started. Many objectors thought that car parking charges would put people off from visiting New Brighton. Some objectors thought that what charging would be unlawful. Others felt that Wirral Council ordering the pay and display ticket machines before the consultation on the proposed traffic regulation order started pre judged the outcome of the consultation.

The most detailed objection from Singleton Clamp & Partners Limited sent on behalf of the Wilkie Leisure Group stated:

The official reason for the U-turn given was the what was in the lease that meant that this could lead to parking charges elsewhere in New Brighton. Promenade Estates were quoted in a Liverpool Echo article by Liam Murphy that they would charge for parking at other car parks in New Brighton if charges at Fort Perch Rock car park were brought in.

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