Will It Ever Happen In Hartlepool

[fred c]

10 years for this £170 Million pound scheme to come to fruition in Darlo..... Can anyone remind me how long "The Mob" have been running Hartlepool

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-23306263

I don`t suppose it is an easy task to bring something along these lines into being, but i have to ask what has been achieved in Hartlepool in the 10 years since Drummond was first elected ....& this point isn`t aimed at the former Mayor.

We haven`t even been able to rid the town of its Grot spots, no doubt we will have a re-run of the Mill House Master plan & another consultation fronted by "The Dear Leader", but i really struggle to come up with any major positves that have been provided by a succesion of Labour MP`s & Labour Councils.

It really does show up the probable purchase of the Big Tin Shed as a complete Joke.

[stokoe]

is this a start fred?


http://eforms.hartlepool.gov.uk:7777/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=97842

the attachments were there last week fred it was to do with brierton school

[stokoe]

it stated there was to be houses, football pitches,office space etc.

[steveL]

Jacksons landing is being bought, as I understand it, with an interest free loan. So you could argue that it's a straight asset for cash swap with the council hoping to make money when the market picks up and to gain some degree of control over what eventually ends up on the site.

As I see it, there a few problems with this.

Firstly, this is essentially property/land speculation which is something HBC shouldn't really be getting involved in and you can't help but wonder that if it was such a good idea, then surely private companies would have been snapping at the reins to buy it. It sounds to me like Damien Wilson is being allowed to live out his fantasy of being a high-flying property speculator using taxpayers money.

Secondly, if you cast your mind back 2 or 3 years and remember Walker's 'Business Tranformation Programme', then part of that was to off-load council assets (usually at ridiculously low prices) in order to minimise annual maintenance costs being incurred by HBC. Think Rockhaven and the Old Central and Municiple buildings.

So within a year or two of this 'programme', here we are doing the complete opposite and buying up buildings/land which are going to incur brand new annual maintenance costs.

And there's the problem.....the problem that has dogged HBC for years; namely, the sheer lack of consistency. The council's 'policies' are all over the place and I for one, take this as a sign that it has no long-term plan for the town and that most things are being run on an ad-hoc, policy-on-the-fly basis.

You find examples of the same inconsistency all over.

• Is Seaton a seaside resort or a giant landfill site?
• Should the history of The Headland be capitalised on or should it be a home for gas platform construction and wind turbine production?
• Is The Marina really 'The Jewel in the Crown' ? If so why is it being left to rust away for want of a coat of paint?

It's one of HBC's main characteristics - it is consistently inconsistent.

[fred c]

I saw that, it sounds as though it will be a plus for the rift house area, not sure what an Industrial Kitchen does though, but a swimming pool sounds good, it will compliment the existing sports hall set-up.
I hope that the roads infrastructure will be improved, with the development at the top of Brierton Lane there will be a lot more houses & obviously a lot more cars & Catty Rd struggles to cope at the moment.
Residents of Brierton Lane have already made complaints about the number of cars parked along there when the kids football has a big turn out.

[norfolkngoode]

  Will anything ever happen in Hartlepool while it remains a safe Liebour seat?......

Did anything happen during 13 years of Liebour government, with a Prime minister 15miles down the road and a government minister residing in the town?

Interesting that you mention the Marina Steve, the biggest project ever in the town? Wasnt that whole thing instigated by the Tories?

[steveL]

In a word, yes, through the Teesside Development Corporation. When the TDC was wound up it's future development was handed over to HBC.

Two year ago, Stubbs was telling us that the infrastructure would be handed over to HBC 'within 2 weeks' - it still hasn't happened. Maintenance still largely comes under Jomast and Mandale who would seem to be unwilling to spend money.

When the parking charges at Navigation Point were introduced, Mandale's Joe Darragh said the revenue would be spent on maintenace - that didn't happen either.

The Marina is an odd one. People who live down there pay council tax like everyone else but the street lighting, road gritting in winter and other services are in the middle of a battle of who shoud do/pay for what. A lot of the private housing and shops down there also come with a hefty 'service charge' payable to either Jomast or Mandale so occupants get stung twice in return for watching a petty squabble between three organisations, none of which want to accept responsibility for anything.

Never mind. We did get a week of free swimming on the run up to the bi-election. 

[steveL]

Most of the British year no one would even dream of dipping their toes in a paddling pool so there's plenty of opportunity for HBC maintenance to make sure that Seaton Paddling pool is in tip-top condition for summer, even more should a miracle happen and we experience a minor heat wave - like now.

But this is the sight greeting any toddler wishing to have a plodge in the recent sweltering weather.

Only in Hartlepool.

I seem to remember a similar event taking the Block Sands Paddling Pool out of use for weeks during a prevous Summer.

[suvin]

Block sand pool was empty when I went past last Thursday. Seymours still working on the pumping station. They have removed the signs advising that the work would take 6 weeks, but they were put up 6 months ago. I understand that the pool has a large crack in the bottom. (no pun intended)