More from the Advertiser
UTTOXETER needs to hold out for the best deal possible for the Cattle Market site, says the town's Mayor Malcolm Barrett.
However, Uttoxeter’s Labour MP Janet Dean and East Staffordshire Borough Council Labour group leader Julian Mott have slammed the delay, claiming it is a waste of tax payers’ money.
The decision by the borough council to pull out of the deal with developers Taylor Woodrow has sparked strong reactions from Independent Councillor Barrett, who had not officially been told of the set-back until The Advertiser informed him yesterday.
He praised the borough council for refusing to be 'bullied' by Taylor Woodrow, and said all parties now need to work together to find the best solution for Uttoxeter.
He said: "I am aware of a press release from ESBC which basically implies that during the past few months Taylor Woodrow has been trying to move the goal posts.
"Based on this, I can only agree with Councillor Fox’s statement that we should not be bullied into accepting a scheme which was not agreed, especially if this is to the detriment of Uttoxeter.
"I would say that the most important thing that we must do now is to keep up momentum in respect of the regeneration of the old cattle market site.
"We must all work together for the future of our town."
Mrs Dean told The Advertiser: "I said that this was a gamble when the council first announced the purchase of the Cattle Market, and the question now is that is this gamble going to cost the tax payers of East Staffordshire?
"While it is right that the local authority should not bow to pressure from Taylor Woodrow, I am surprised that it should have reached this stage without a legal agreement.
"Also, if the council was aware that the development would not go ahead this week, I am surprised that it did not try to agree the continuation of the Cattle Market."
She said that she hoped the borough council would now ensure that the public’s concerns over parking in the town were addressed in future plans.
Mr Mott said: "Many times we have been assured that the purchase of Uttoxeter Cattle Market would have 'zero impact' on the council tax payers, and were promised several times by Councillor Fox that work would begin on November 1.
"Now the deal has fallen through, the council is already paying interest on the cost of purchase.
"The fact that this deal has fallen through gives the council the opportunity to reconsider its position on lack of affordable housing and the loss of car parking, and come up with plans that meet the aspirations of local people."
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Taylor Woodrun
Housebuilder Taylor Woodrow is the subject of rumors of a takeover from rival Persimmon.
Perhaps Taylor Woodrow were trying to make money while they could by pushing a desperate council further and further down the road to selling off Uttoxeter as a bargain basement housing estate.
Profit at Taylor Woodrow falls 18% in six months to June
Housebuilder feels effects of the tougher housing market
Perhaps Taylor Woodrow were trying to make money while they could by pushing a desperate council further and further down the road to selling off Uttoxeter as a bargain basement housing estate.
Profit at Taylor Woodrow falls 18% in six months to June
Housebuilder feels effects of the tougher housing market
Greed of Developers 'surprises' council
From the Uttoxeter Advertiser today
THE redevelopment of Uttoxeter cattle market has been put on hold after council bosses pulled out of a deal with developers at the last minute.
Days before bulldozers were due to move in to begin demolishing the site, East Staffordshire Borough Council has halted the deal over a row with developers Taylor Woodrow.
The move came after the firm changed its original proposals saying it wanted to halve the number of retail units and replace them with more housing
However, the council has pushed ahead with its purchase of the Carter Street site from Bagshaws and says if things cannot be resolved with Taylor Woodrow it will look for another developer.
The redevelopment of this site in the heart of Uttoxeter could now be delayed by as much as six months.
The council said today it was unhappy with the developer for delaying the signing of the legal agreement and making frequent attempts to change the terms on which the company had been selected last year.
The developer refused to guarantee the build quality and finish of the development, despite the council dropping the price of the site by £1million to ensure a high quality.
The last straw was when the company told the council last week it would only sign if the price tag of the site was slashed further.
Councillor Alex Fox, leader of the borough council, said: "The last few months have demonstrated that Taylor Woodrow is not willing to honour the promises made when the company was selected last year.
"We have been very patient with the company but I have decided that enough is enough.
"Even within the last week, Taylor Woodrow again tried to change the terms and we have come to the point where we are not prepared to compromise any further.
"We want Uttoxeter to be right. If it takes another three to six months then so be it. Last time round there were five developers who showed an interest in the site.
"It is actually a much more attractive site than when we signed this deal in that we now have planning permission and own all of it.
"The designs drawn up by Taylor Woodrow originally were excellent but we have been taken down a track where they won’t guarantee these designs at the finish.
“We have got to stand our ground on these things because this is a big project.
“We are not going to just roll over on this multi-million pound deal and be taken to the cleaners.
“My gut feeling is that they will come back to us and if it sticks to the agreement we will be happy to proceed, if it doesn’t we will be happy to look elsewhere.”
The decision to halt the deal received unaminous cross-party support at a cabinet meeting of the council last Friday.
The council has also brought in professional advisors to prepare a report outlining the current options for site.
The report will go before the cabinet at the end of the month when a decision will be taken on whether to stay with Taylor Woodrow or find a new buyer.
East Staffordshire Borough Council’s new chief executive Marie Ainsworth, who had only been in her post for nine hours when the decision was publicly announced, said: “The advice we have had is that there is likely to be significant interest in the scheme.”
She said that although planning permission has been granted for the site, if a new developer was appointed it would be most likely that variations to the scheme would mean new permission would need to be sought.
Councillor Fox added that “every cloud has a silver lining” and that this gave the council an opportunity to review the plans for the site.
He said: “This gives us another opportunity to look at the retail for the site and the type of retail coming in, to review the designs again and see if 12 months on they are exactly what we finally want.”
Taylor Woodrow’s director of strategic development, Jamie Gibbins, said: “Taylor Woodrow remains committed to delivering a high quality mixed-use development on the cattle market site.
“We are still in negotiation and while discussions continue with all interested parties, from prospective retailers to the council, we are not in a position to comment any further.”
THE redevelopment of Uttoxeter cattle market has been put on hold after council bosses pulled out of a deal with developers at the last minute.
Days before bulldozers were due to move in to begin demolishing the site, East Staffordshire Borough Council has halted the deal over a row with developers Taylor Woodrow.
The move came after the firm changed its original proposals saying it wanted to halve the number of retail units and replace them with more housing
However, the council has pushed ahead with its purchase of the Carter Street site from Bagshaws and says if things cannot be resolved with Taylor Woodrow it will look for another developer.
The redevelopment of this site in the heart of Uttoxeter could now be delayed by as much as six months.
The council said today it was unhappy with the developer for delaying the signing of the legal agreement and making frequent attempts to change the terms on which the company had been selected last year.
The developer refused to guarantee the build quality and finish of the development, despite the council dropping the price of the site by £1million to ensure a high quality.
The last straw was when the company told the council last week it would only sign if the price tag of the site was slashed further.
Councillor Alex Fox, leader of the borough council, said: "The last few months have demonstrated that Taylor Woodrow is not willing to honour the promises made when the company was selected last year.
"We have been very patient with the company but I have decided that enough is enough.
"Even within the last week, Taylor Woodrow again tried to change the terms and we have come to the point where we are not prepared to compromise any further.
"We want Uttoxeter to be right. If it takes another three to six months then so be it. Last time round there were five developers who showed an interest in the site.
"It is actually a much more attractive site than when we signed this deal in that we now have planning permission and own all of it.
"The designs drawn up by Taylor Woodrow originally were excellent but we have been taken down a track where they won’t guarantee these designs at the finish.
“We have got to stand our ground on these things because this is a big project.
“We are not going to just roll over on this multi-million pound deal and be taken to the cleaners.
“My gut feeling is that they will come back to us and if it sticks to the agreement we will be happy to proceed, if it doesn’t we will be happy to look elsewhere.”
The decision to halt the deal received unaminous cross-party support at a cabinet meeting of the council last Friday.
The council has also brought in professional advisors to prepare a report outlining the current options for site.
The report will go before the cabinet at the end of the month when a decision will be taken on whether to stay with Taylor Woodrow or find a new buyer.
East Staffordshire Borough Council’s new chief executive Marie Ainsworth, who had only been in her post for nine hours when the decision was publicly announced, said: “The advice we have had is that there is likely to be significant interest in the scheme.”
She said that although planning permission has been granted for the site, if a new developer was appointed it would be most likely that variations to the scheme would mean new permission would need to be sought.
Councillor Fox added that “every cloud has a silver lining” and that this gave the council an opportunity to review the plans for the site.
He said: “This gives us another opportunity to look at the retail for the site and the type of retail coming in, to review the designs again and see if 12 months on they are exactly what we finally want.”
Taylor Woodrow’s director of strategic development, Jamie Gibbins, said: “Taylor Woodrow remains committed to delivering a high quality mixed-use development on the cattle market site.
“We are still in negotiation and while discussions continue with all interested parties, from prospective retailers to the council, we are not in a position to comment any further.”
Council fail to deliver again - carpetbaggers flee
From the Sentinel Today
MAJOR BLOW FOR PLANS TO REGENERATE TOWN CENTRE
GRAHAM TONG12:00 - 02 November 2005
Multi-million pound plans to transform Uttoxeter town centre have suffered a setback after talks between proposed developers and council officials broke down. Developer Taylor Woodrow told bosses at East Staffordshire Borough Council it was cutting its offer to buy the cattle market site in the town centre by a 'significant amount' before an agreement was due to be signed.Councillors have now decided unanimously to reject the offer.Taylor Woodrow was chosen a year ago to develop the site to form the main part of a 10-year masterplan for Uttoxeter. This included building 180 houses, a retail development, offices and improvements to town centre parking.A borough council statement says Taylor Woodrow has since delayed signing a contract to confirm the deal and has made 'frequent attempts to change the terms on which the company had been selected'.Talks will be opened with other developers if the firm does not increase its latest offer.Council leader Alex Fox insisted the authority was protecting the town's future interests by rejecting the offer.He said: "Taylor Woodrow was chosen 12 months ago because the designs were the best for Uttoxeter. They captured the ambience of the market town. They put a good mix together. We believed that would take the town forward for the next 100 years. They were supposed to sign a contract in March this year. As time has gone by we've been frustrated - they've always found another reason to delay putting a signature on that contract."First they came to us and said the amount they were paying was fine, but they wanted to spread it over two years."We gave ground on that on the basis that we wanted to make progress. Now we are faced with a problem where Taylor Woodrow want to reduce the price they were paying for the market site."We've told Taylor Woodrow we are not prepared to knock anything off the price. Taylor Woodrow may well want to review its position and talk to us again, which we would be happy to do."Mr Fox added that Taylor Woodrow's plan to halve the number of retail outlets initially proposed in order to develop more housing had also been rejected, and that the firm was no longer guaranteeing the scheme's quality.Councillor Julian Mott, leader of the opposition, said: "The Labour group representatives agreed that these would not represent the best solution for Uttoxeter and we support the council's decision."Taylor Woodrow's director of strategic development, Jamie Gibbins said: "We are still in negotiation and while discussions continue with all interested parties we are not in a position to comment any further."
MAJOR BLOW FOR PLANS TO REGENERATE TOWN CENTRE
GRAHAM TONG12:00 - 02 November 2005
Multi-million pound plans to transform Uttoxeter town centre have suffered a setback after talks between proposed developers and council officials broke down. Developer Taylor Woodrow told bosses at East Staffordshire Borough Council it was cutting its offer to buy the cattle market site in the town centre by a 'significant amount' before an agreement was due to be signed.Councillors have now decided unanimously to reject the offer.Taylor Woodrow was chosen a year ago to develop the site to form the main part of a 10-year masterplan for Uttoxeter. This included building 180 houses, a retail development, offices and improvements to town centre parking.A borough council statement says Taylor Woodrow has since delayed signing a contract to confirm the deal and has made 'frequent attempts to change the terms on which the company had been selected'.Talks will be opened with other developers if the firm does not increase its latest offer.Council leader Alex Fox insisted the authority was protecting the town's future interests by rejecting the offer.He said: "Taylor Woodrow was chosen 12 months ago because the designs were the best for Uttoxeter. They captured the ambience of the market town. They put a good mix together. We believed that would take the town forward for the next 100 years. They were supposed to sign a contract in March this year. As time has gone by we've been frustrated - they've always found another reason to delay putting a signature on that contract."First they came to us and said the amount they were paying was fine, but they wanted to spread it over two years."We gave ground on that on the basis that we wanted to make progress. Now we are faced with a problem where Taylor Woodrow want to reduce the price they were paying for the market site."We've told Taylor Woodrow we are not prepared to knock anything off the price. Taylor Woodrow may well want to review its position and talk to us again, which we would be happy to do."Mr Fox added that Taylor Woodrow's plan to halve the number of retail outlets initially proposed in order to develop more housing had also been rejected, and that the firm was no longer guaranteeing the scheme's quality.Councillor Julian Mott, leader of the opposition, said: "The Labour group representatives agreed that these would not represent the best solution for Uttoxeter and we support the council's decision."Taylor Woodrow's director of strategic development, Jamie Gibbins said: "We are still in negotiation and while discussions continue with all interested parties we are not in a position to comment any further."
Friday, September 16, 2005
Civic Society on the small screen....
Civic Society Secretary David Denny appeared last night on the Heart of the Country on ITV. The town was featured in a mystery Midlands town montage with David revealing the idenity at the end. Some excellence shots and locations of our beautiful town were included and providentially some from the soon to be closed Cattle Market.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Uttoxeter by any other name
Uttoxeter as it is now known, has had many different names and many different spellings. The List below is mostly based on phonetic spellings of the vernacular pronunciation. Below is the usual list although there are references to Uttoxeter as Hycestri, which could hint at a Roman origin.....
There are probably more but there are 76 versions below
Hottocsathere (1322)
Hottokesacre (Ed I)
Hutockshather (1208)
Huttokeshagh (1242)
Huttokkeshatre (H V)
Otoksather (H V)
Ottockeshat (Ed I)
Ottockeshater (Ed I)
Ottokeshathere (Ed I)
Ottokeshther (Ed I)
Ottokhathere (Ed I)
Utcester (Jas I)
Utcetor (Eliz)
Utcetter (Jas I)
Utcytor (Eliz)
Uthoxhaure (1212)
Utokeshather (1316-40)
Utoxator (Jas I)
Utoxeter (Jas I)
Utoxetur (E I & 1583)
Utoxitur (1640)
Uttaksather (H VI)
Uttaxather (1540)
Uttaxatour (H VII)
Uttaxceter (Ed)
Uttaxotor (H VII)
Uttcetour (1535)
Uttcettour (1544)
Uttcetur (1533)
Uttekasthre (Ed I)
Uttockeshather (1288)
Uttokesaker (Ed I)
Uttokesh (1360)
Uttokeshader (1199)
Uttokeshadere (E III)
Uttokeshal (1225)
Uttokeshale (1275)
Uttokeshather (E I & R II)
Uttokeshatre (R II)
Uttokhather (H VI)
Uttokhather (H VI)
Uttokishidere (1174)
Uttoksader (H V)
Uttoksater (H V)
Uttoksathe (H V)
Uttoksather (H V)
Uttoksatre (H VI)
Uttokshater (H V, 1366)
Uttoxater (H V)
Uttoxater (Jas I)
Uttoxather (Ed III)
Uttoxator (Eliz, 1551)
Uttoxatour (Eliz)
Uttoxatre (1349)
Uttoxatur (H VIII)
Uttoxature (Eliz)
Uttoxceter (Jas I)
Uttoxcetur (H VIII, 1553)
Uttoxeshather (1327)
Uttoxeter (1614)
Uttoxetor (Ed I)
Uttoxhader (H V)
Uttoxhater (R II)
Uttoxhatha (1327)
Uttoxhather (1331)
Uttoxhathour (H VIII)
Uttoxhathre (R II)
Uttoxhatre (Ed III, R III, H IV)
Uttoxhattour (H V)
Uttoxiter (1640)
Uttuckeshall (Ed I)
Uxcetur (H VIII)
Wettokesaker (1288)
Wittokeshather (1243)
Wotochesede (Domesday 1086)
Wytokeshather (Ed I)
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Uttoxeter Advertiser report on campaign to save The Weaver Lodge
Uttoxeter Civic Society has appealed against East Staffordshire Borough Council’s decision to grant planning permission for The Weaver Lodge public house to be knocked down and replaced by 15 houses and nine apartments.
Millwood’s development in Windsor Road looks like likely to see this former home of the Bamfords demolished, despite the Union Pub Company still listing it for tenancy on their web site.
"The Weaver Lodge comprises a large lounge with car park. Private accommodation, flat above the licensed premises consisting of 3 bedrooms. Guide Rent £25,000, Stock & Glassware
£2,000"
Be quick!
Millwood’s development in Windsor Road looks like likely to see this former home of the Bamfords demolished, despite the Union Pub Company still listing it for tenancy on their web site.
"The Weaver Lodge comprises a large lounge with car park. Private accommodation, flat above the licensed premises consisting of 3 bedrooms. Guide Rent £25,000, Stock & Glassware
£2,000"
Be quick!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Banality has taken root in clone town Britain
Britain's town centres are rapidly becoming indistinguishable, losing all sense of local identity as they are taken over by global and national chain stores, economists warned today.
A report from the New Economics Foundation estimated how far the nation's high streets had been taken over by a phenomenon it called "clone town Britain". New Economics Foundation
"Banality has taken root like a relative from abroad invited to stay because their foreignness seemed interesting, before realising they were tiresome and refused to leave." Said a report in the Guardian today.
Both Stafford and Burton appeared in the top ten of clone towns-what hope then for Uttoxeter?
Uttoxeter is of course a bedroom town and unlikely to attract any retail anyway as its purpose will become a dormitory for the wage slaves of surrounding urban connurbations.
personally I like the way Louisville in the USA is fighting back against cloning with its "Keep Louisville Weird" campaign.
A report from the New Economics Foundation estimated how far the nation's high streets had been taken over by a phenomenon it called "clone town Britain". New Economics Foundation
"Banality has taken root like a relative from abroad invited to stay because their foreignness seemed interesting, before realising they were tiresome and refused to leave." Said a report in the Guardian today.
Both Stafford and Burton appeared in the top ten of clone towns-what hope then for Uttoxeter?
Uttoxeter is of course a bedroom town and unlikely to attract any retail anyway as its purpose will become a dormitory for the wage slaves of surrounding urban connurbations.
personally I like the way Louisville in the USA is fighting back against cloning with its "Keep Louisville Weird" campaign.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
JCB gets approval despite protests
JCB have had planning approved from ESBC to build a new factory at Beamhurst. The Environment Agency and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England have recommended that the application is turned down because of its impact on the environment, traffic, pollution, wildlife and landscape which is prone to flooding. There were 14 letters of objection in all.
The application is contrary to the Local Plan and will still have to be referred to the Secretary of State for final approval.
Anthony Bamford donated £1 Million to the Tory party over the last year. ESBC is Tory controlled.
The application is contrary to the Local Plan and will still have to be referred to the Secretary of State for final approval.
Anthony Bamford donated £1 Million to the Tory party over the last year. ESBC is Tory controlled.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Another One Bites the Dust
Another Uttoxeter pub recently ceased trading and will never operate as a pub again. The ancient coaching inn the Wellington, a listed building, is rumored to have been sold to a well known local developer. The terms of the sale originally contained covenants to ensure the pub was never licesned again as a public house. The sale also included an option to purchase around half an acre of land in addition to the car park which creates a very useful housing estate space for even more profitable town houses - the current development trend int he town. The only glitch is that the entrance fromt he higt street is very restricting for large vehicles - but developers have ways of getting around such obstacles! Adjoining the Wellington arch is another listed building for sale.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Housing Estate in Town Centre
The Town Centre plans involve cramming 86 houses into every hectare of land. That's a space of 100 meters by 100 meters. The whole development is 2 hectares, there will be very little room for any 'town redevelopment' or public space for the good citizens of Uttoxeter, or indeed anything which could attract the tourism and leisure industry market to the town.
The paltry allocation for retail (about half the size of a supermarket) was always a concern, but now Alex Fox ESBC leader has said that any empty retail will become even more housing. Have they considered Japanese Capsule Hotels?
It's clear that the only way ESBC can claw back the £3.5 million they spent is by using every scrap of the space for housing, allowing carpetbaggers to make their millions and leaving Uttoxeter with a town within a town.
Taylor Woodrow's CEO was once Chief Exec of Bass in Burton, he's a non exec Director of Imperial Tobacco too, I expect that the contacts he made in Burton were useful in securing the deal to get the contract for Uttoxeter. But we won't know because we don't know how Taylor Woodrow were selected in the first place.
Email your objections to : planning.control@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
Or post them to:Mr A Wood, Head of Development Services, Midland Grain Warehouse, Derby St,Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire DE14 2JJ.
Let our Town Councillors know at
Town Hall, High Street, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 7HN, phone: 01889 564085
Once it's gone it's gone for good.
The paltry allocation for retail (about half the size of a supermarket) was always a concern, but now Alex Fox ESBC leader has said that any empty retail will become even more housing. Have they considered Japanese Capsule Hotels?
It's clear that the only way ESBC can claw back the £3.5 million they spent is by using every scrap of the space for housing, allowing carpetbaggers to make their millions and leaving Uttoxeter with a town within a town.
Taylor Woodrow's CEO was once Chief Exec of Bass in Burton, he's a non exec Director of Imperial Tobacco too, I expect that the contacts he made in Burton were useful in securing the deal to get the contract for Uttoxeter. But we won't know because we don't know how Taylor Woodrow were selected in the first place.
Email your objections to : planning.control@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk
Or post them to:Mr A Wood, Head of Development Services, Midland Grain Warehouse, Derby St,Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire DE14 2JJ.
Let our Town Councillors know at
Town Hall, High Street, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 7HN, phone: 01889 564085
Once it's gone it's gone for good.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Back blogging -after long break
Back on line after a long break- sorry. This blog will now regularly update on the travails of the town and news, gossip and rumour which isn't fit to print.
DJP
DJP
Lidl -The Whitewash
Lidl have decided to paint the exterior of their store on Town Meadows Way - white. The manager only became aware when the painters turned up and began to cover the building in white paint. Is this a livery change or a new canvas for graffiti artists to practice their art?
Does it contravene planning regulations?
The building was an ugly incongruous brick shed beforehand, it is now an ugly highly visible incongruous brick shed in a conservation area.
Lidl have been known to take very strange decisions in the past, last year, the chain demanded that women workers in its Czech Republic and Polish stores wear special headbands during their monthly periods. It said the move was to identify women who could take additional toilet breaks! The policy was abandoned after critical media coverage worldwide, perhaps we can then get them to do something about the white house too or get punters to don white headbands on entering the shop?
Does it contravene planning regulations?
The building was an ugly incongruous brick shed beforehand, it is now an ugly highly visible incongruous brick shed in a conservation area.
Lidl have been known to take very strange decisions in the past, last year, the chain demanded that women workers in its Czech Republic and Polish stores wear special headbands during their monthly periods. It said the move was to identify women who could take additional toilet breaks! The policy was abandoned after critical media coverage worldwide, perhaps we can then get them to do something about the white house too or get punters to don white headbands on entering the shop?
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