July 13 2012

Bill Sholl's e-mail has stirred things up a little. And now a FANTASTIC story lands elswhere over the weekend suggesting that LDC and Roundtable Entertainment is backing a £350million indoor water park developement in Newhaven.


BILL'S STILL ON THE TRAIL...
With regards to Roundtable Entertainments, the only company I could find of this name was from Scotland and had gone out of business in 2010. The registered address was a group of flats adjacent to a local park. I think this may just be a case of pure coincidence with regards to names. HOWEVER there is still no information about this "Roundtable Entertainments" who now want to build a waterpark (!) What is their track record? Why is there no general information about the company?

I emailed both LDC on this and Roundtable Entertainments' email address given on the LDC website last Friday. To date I have heard NOTHING.

I still find it extremely suspicious that there is no information readily available on this comnpany, nor is it even registered on the Company House website.

Why don't LDC come clean and tell us what's really going on?

Forgive me for being cycnical but in view of LDC's current conduct, I find the idea of a waterpark next to the incinerator a bit too fantastic -In Brighton perhaps, but not Newhaven.

Bill Sholl


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QUESTIONS
Why wasn't this land put up for auction?

Where were the 'For Sale' notices?

Surely an area of that size with outline planning permission for a hotel should have gone to the highest bidder - maybe for millions.

The new government directives on Planning Permission will make it very simple to turn this into a housing development and impossible to stop.

Should this be a police matter? For Lewes District Council to sell an area that size for a fraction of it's true value, would surely mean that they are either totally incompetent or corrupt? 

Disgruntled - Newhaven

PS: I'm expecting to wake up with my hamster's head on the pillow next to me!

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THE VIEW FROM ABOVE
A little bird tells me that there is no hotel group yet confirmed for the project, nor are there any known committed financial backers. If this is true, LDC should come clean on (a) who exactly the developer is; (b) what confirmation they obtained that the developer was financially able to carry out the project, and (c) who the expected hotel group is going to be.

In the recent Railway Quay battle, it was quite clear that the planners were strongly influenced by 'deliverability', and in particular the commitment of major groups such as Tesco's and Asda to the respective projects. Should the same not apply to the recreation site?

Will I be surprised if, in 12 months time, the hotel plan is dropped and this comes back as a housing development?

And while we are on the subject, am I the only one who thinks £84,000 for a large site with outline planning permission is a very low valuation for the land: it is only about 2.5 times the value of agricultural land. How is this low valuation being justified, or was it a misprint? If sold for housing the value could be 15x higher. Do we smell a rat - or was it just swimming by in the river?

'Eye in the Sky'


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COUNCILLORS KEPT IN THE DARK
I have checked the company as well with equal (lack of) success.

The public usually think that councillors must know, but because of confidentiallity they aren't saying.

In this case. I, for one, am greatly concerned that things are being done "in my name" so to speak and I don't know whats going on.

I'm pretty sure this applies to all Newhaven councillors and probably quite a few other district councillors too.

I will be interested to hear what Bill turns up.

Regards (a not happy)

Rod Main


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MR GRUMPY GETS.... GRUMPIER...
As I said the other day. Is all this a case of Dodgy Dealings?  Is someone making a lot of money out of all this?

First there was the ASDA decision by councillors which went against the advice of the LDC Planning Department. Then there was the supposed sale of the Lewes Road Recreation Ground. This week we hear about the possible 'hiving off' of Newhaven Fort to a private company.

Perhaps it is time for a full and open investigation into what is going on at LDC.

Mr Grumpy


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CALLING NORMAN
I think Norman Baker needs to be involved.

Trevour Smart


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SCOTCH MIST
After reading Bill Sholl's letter I looked up Roundtable Entertainments Limited and it is based in Paisley, Scotland.

It was officially dissolved on 15th October 2010.

Amanda Wilkins


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THERE MAY BE TROUBLE AHEAD
Interesting information but, just in case of a legal issue developing, be careful what is discussed on this site. The perjury police are ever present!

John Powell