Who’s Resorting to Misleading Information? You Decide!

Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies, the outgoing Wirral Council ‘leader’ has repeatedly stated that campaigners opposing the Hoylake Golf Resort have been spreading ‘misleading’ information. However, apparently when asked to meet with campaigners to clarify his accusation he went strangely quiet. If Pip and his Council cronies are so outraged about ‘misleading’ information, we wonder why they haven’t bothered to correct any of the ‘misleading’ information being put out by the developers for the Hoylake Golf Resort?

In recent media articles and on their website the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group (NJVG) have stated the building the luxury golf resort houses will mean that the Hoylake Golf Resort link road will not be funded by the public purse. This information is incorrect as the Golf Resort road WILL be funded from the public purse. This ‘misleading’ information was brought to the attention of Wirral Council officers in February, but no response was received.

We understand that at the last Wirral West Constituency Meeting on 14^th March a member of the public asked David ‘Golf’ Ball, Assistant Director of Housing and Economic Growth, to clarify whether the NJVG were correct to state that the road would not be publicly funded.

David Ball responded:

I’m not quite sure why the Nickalaus Joint Venture Group have said there is no public money going in to the road because as we did report, as you have rightly said, to the last Cabinet meeting …the link road has an opportunity for a number of sources of funding, one could be through grant from the Liverpool City Region as a transport scheme or the other alternative approach is to recycle the capital receipt that the Council would receive from the golf resort project into part funding that road, and that is my understanding of the position at the present time, so I don’t know why the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group said there was no public money required for that because that’s not my understanding of the position

Responding to cries from the audience about people being misled Cllr Jeff ‘Yellow’ Green stated:

To be fair to David…David won’t be able to give an answer about why people are being misled by the Joint Ventures web site, but I am sure he will go back and speak to them and make sure that it is corrected, is that right?

to which David Ball gave a resounding:

Yes!

However at the time of this post, more than 6 weeks after the constituency meeting and 10 weeks after the ‘misleading information’ was first highlighted to Council officials, the incorrect information is still on the NJVG website.

Other misleading information which the NJVG is stating on their website is about the quality of the farmland that could be annexed by Hoylake Golf Resort. NJVG claim it is “poor quality grade 4 cultivated land”. The Wirral Society obtained further information from the Soil Association and Landis.org. They also sought the opinion of Cranfield University who produce the Soilscapes website and are sponsored by DEFRA. Rather than being poor farmland, the Soilscapes websites indicate that much of the land is productive, suitable for dairying or beef and some cereal or feed production. Cranfield University were also of the opinion that the soil could even be graded as ALC Class 1 if better irrigation was introduced. We don’t know exactly what that means but even we know that Class 1 sounds better than Grade 4.

https://www.wirralsociety.net/hoylake-golf-resort-agricultural-land-assessment/

Finally, we would like to highlight that one of the pages on the resort website says “Hoylake Resort will provide a beacon for tourism within Wirral” – accompanied by photos NOT of Wirral’s many fabulous tourist attractions and wonderful natural areas, but instead by photographs of the Liverpool skyline and bizarrely , Wallasey Town Hall. Not a green in sight! – which politically is just how Power Boy Pip and Co would like it!

Does this mean that the NJVG know what many already suspect – that despite what the top Council spinners may say about making Hoylake a “world class destination”, most golfers will finish their rounds of golf and disappear along the publicly funded road straight on to the motorway to go and visit the world class international attractions in Liverpool just 15 minutes away!…

Not that we’re suggesting that Wirral Council’s ruling administration would ever resort to misleading information. However we’d like to point out that in a recent Labour leaflet distributed in Birkenhead & Tranmere there was the usual ‘Vote Green Get Blue’ rhetoric and alleged evidence that  that Cllr Pat Cleary votes with the Tories. We are reliably informed that the image is being pointed out to residents on the doorstep.

It is certainly a ‘misleading’ piece of editing but certainly not as technically proficient as piecing together the panoramic that shows the full vote that was occurring out of view which had six out of seven Labour Councillors with their hands up as well!

A Green Party leaflet exposes the ‘misleading  information’ here :

Now that’s what we call evidence of ‘misleading information’.

Over to you Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies to evidence campaigners opposing the Hoylake Golf Resort have been spreading ‘misleading’ information.  Although no doubt he’ll be too busy counting the minutes until his leaving do to be held at Wallasey Town Hall on May 8th…

 

 

Hoylake Golf Resort : Protest and Protect

We confidently predict that next week will be  a challenging one for the ruling administration at Wirral Council.  As we heralded in our  Message from Wirral Green Space Alliance : Extraordinary Wirral Council Meeting 25th February there is a coordinated protest prior to the meeting which is concerned with the long-running  ‘Hoylake Golf Resort’ saga.

There is a growing alliance of protestors against the luxury homes with a golf course proposal and from some unexpected quarters. Who would have believed that having gone independent as a councillor that ex- Labour Cllr Moira ‘Matron’ McLaughlin would suddenly be ‘independent’ of thought ? Now having helped set up an ‘independent group’ at Wirral Council (along with Cllrs  Chris Meaden and Michael Sullivan ) Matron now feels free to express doubts on her former leader Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies’ pet project.

Liverpool Echo reports :

While Cllr McLaughlin would not reveal which she would vote for or against (at the Extraordinary Meeting) , she revealed her “grave concerns” about the huge project, and the “capacity” of officers to carry it through…

Meanwhile we have also received a leaked email sent by Wirral Trades Union Council :

Anticipating the strength of growing opposition Pip and his ever decreasing cohort of cronies have been busily preparing their justifications and prepping the press.

We understand that this preparation for tomorrow included a visit  by Pip , Cllr Angela ‘Excited’ Davies and Wirral Council CEO Eric ‘Feeble’Robinson to Celtic Manor Golf Resort in South Wales on 6th February . Labour councillors were briefed about the visit last week (18th February) giving them a week to rehearse their roles and memorise their lines in time for tomorrow’s meeting. This will no doubt include reference to the news found in the Place North West article  Hoylake’s £200m golf resort ‘ready to go’ as contractor joins team where we find Jim Anderson of developer Nicklaus Joint Venture Group (NJVG) , saying the Hoylake Golf Resort proposal was “fully funded” with an aim to “start work the next day” if planning permission is secured. Anderson goes on to say :

Hopefully we won’t be used as a political item one way or another. It’s important for us to get out to the people to understand what their concerns are; we have a year of planning where we can look at those concerns and hopefully address them, and a lot of that will be when they understand the true nature of the project.

The doors of the golf course are very much open. You don’t have to be a member to come into the clubhouse to have a coffee or have a pint or use the restaurants; it’s there for everyone. It’s a misconception that this is a playground for the rich and only they can use it, and frankly, the business model wouldn’t work if we didn’t get engagement with the local population.

Under the circumstances we would expect Mr Anderson to be at tomorrow’s meeting to help address concerns of protestors and engage with the local population. As for the Hoylake Golf Resort being used as a ‘political item one way or another’ does he know that it’s a) Wirral and b) a local election year ?…

 

 

Hoylake Golf Resort : ‘Wirral Local Campaign Forum reflects the views of the members which may at times differ from the Labour Group’

A  press release we have just received from the Wirral Local Campaign Forum (formerly known as the Wirral District Labour Party) is the clearest indication yet of the schism between local party members and the old guard of Labour Group . The LCF declares its opposition to the Hoylake Golf Resort – or Celtic Manor Resort as its being rebranded in certain quarters – which has been a flagship development for the ruling administration under the ‘leadership’ of council ‘leader’ Cllr Phil ‘Power Boy Pip’ Davies.

We did predict that 2019 would be an interesting year for politics on Wirral. One week in and things just got a whole lot more interesting…

 

Wirral’s Green Belt : The Changing ‘Story’

Our latest leak about the Green Belt includes many points of interest including the big news that Story Homes have pulled out of the Hoylake Golf resort proposals. Their replacement, Redrow , bring an interesting track record to devlopments . As does disgraced Cllr Steve ‘Foulkesy’ Foulkes  who we are told is to become the Chair of Wirral Council’s  Planning Committee. We have to ask whether, with his proven track record of flagrant dishonesty , that this is the right person to be involved in making decisions about multi-million pound development plans – or indeed any council business at all…

Hi Wirralleaks

Are you aware that Story Homes have pulled out of the Golf Resort and the preferred housebuilder is now REDROW!!!??  David Ball has confirmed this to us last week at the Wirral West Constituency Meeting. In an email David Ball stated “Story Homes had a change of strategic direction by their owner and decided that the Hoylake project did not now align with the new direction.”

 

Of course, this is a diplomatic way of saying that “they have decided to pull out” but it would be very interesting to know why they pulled out. Why have they decided to pull out of the golf resort, yet they are actively pursuing other landowners on the Wirral looking to develop other Green Belt Land? – see attached letters.

 

It seems that Story Homes “change of strategic direction” still includes trying to build houses on Wirral’s Green Belt – just not on the Golf Resort site. Has the Hoylake Golf resort project become too toxic for them? Maybe they were aware of the massive public opposition and they feared bad publicity? Maybe they were worried about flooding, as the golf resort houses are to be built in the middle of a flood plain? Or maybe they no longer wanted to be involved with the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group as they, and there partners Branded Hotel Management, have lost a number of Directors recently. Perhaps they were struggling to get financial backing for the project as the NJVG have a history of bankruptcy?

 

It would be interesting to know when exactly did Story homes pull out and is this the reason why the design studies have been delayed.

 

I am sure you are aware that REDROW are embroiled in a bitter battle with the people of Liverpool. Redrow and their friend “Redrow Joe” Anderson are trying to build 51 executive homes on Calderstones Park. Over 40,000 have signed a petition and the public are funding a judicial review next month. Labour have lost seats in South Liverpool because of their policy of selling off Green Spaces to Redrow, yet still Joe Anderson will not listen.

 It would be interesting to know if  (Cllr) Phil Davies spoke to Joe Anderson to ask if his Redrow friends could “rescue” the golf resort project after Story Homes pulled out.

 

It is also concerning that Redrow will now be in charge of building a housing estate on a flood plain. A simple google search of “redrow” and “flooding” reveals scores of housing projects built by Redrow where there have been flooding problems. There is even a facebook page called “I bought a Redrow home and my garden is a swamp!”

 

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/residents-living-new-housing-estate-14386420

 

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/16157885.Flooding_concerns_in_Hawarden_near_recent_Redrow_housing_development/

 

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/fury-over-leaky-luxury-homes-and-flood-issues-1-8682734

 

You may also be aware that the Labour LCF passed the following motion last Friday. I understand that there were no votes against with the 3 Labour Group members (Councillors) abstaining:

 This branch / CLP / LCF calls upon the Labour Group to:

1. Complete a re-evaluation of the housing needs for Wirral taking into account the historical population and household numbers and trends, the recent lack of economic growth and the likely dramatic effects of Brexit on the economic prospects for Wirral.
2. Challenge the Government’s housing targets for Wirral arguing that there is compelling evidence to adopt an alternative approach to the calculation of housing needs.
3. Argue that the above factors will dramatically reduce the anticipated housing needs for Wirral and suggest a much lower figure.
4. Complete a consultation with the membership to include prioritising the construction of council houses, starter and affordable homes on a brownfield first basis. The consultation should include a local policy conference to discuss inter alia compulsory purchase options for land owned by Peel Holdings and the development of our own regeneration plan for that area and other areas, bearing in mind that the Wirral Waters site is eligible for substantial Government grants.
5. Complete a revised and widely agreed local plan to be consulted on in all our communities. This public consultation should be led by Councillors in cooperation with the wider party to ensure the voices of all Wirral’s citizens are listened to and acted upon.
6. Oppose the re-designation of Greenbelt for house building, to reiterate its commitment to preserving Wirral’s Greenbelt and to cancel the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort.

The LCF has 6 delegates elected by each of the 4 Wirral Constituency Labour Parties, one delegate from each Labour Party branch, representatives of the Labour Group (Labour Councillors), and one from the Co-operative Party and Young Labour. The motion was carried with no votes against, with the 3 Labour group representatives abstaining.

Finally, we have also been made aware that Steve Foulkes (“Research Associate” at Unilever) has been made chair of planning – i.e. he will decide what land Leverhulme can develop – a conflict of interest surely?

 

 

Big Hitters

What was that phrase that Wirral Council bandied about to absolve themselves of any responsibility when the much heralded Stella Shiu/ Peel Group  Wirral Waters International Trade Centre  sank without trace ?  – Ah! yes , they’d undertaken “due diligence” .

“That’s a first” trilled Her Ladyship.

Based on subsequent events we can only presume “due diligence” didn’t include Googling Shiu to get some useful background information!.

Consequently we’ve been asked whether we have any info about Wirral Council’s “preferred development partner” for the proposed Hoylake Golf Resort – Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited  – and exactly what is Jack Nicklaus’ role in the scheme.

From what we’ve discovered so far it seems to us that Nicklaus has licensed his name and Skyped a message over from the States praising  Hoylake’s famous micro-climate . Hoylake has a micro-climate – who knew? . Judging by this week’s weather we can only presume he means golf ball size hailstones in late April.

 

So we thought we’d  find out about the big hitters who Wirral Council are investing so much hope in and check out the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group Limited  (NJVG) at Companies House.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxrkIjRDgrB-TnhlLTVWZjJqOWc/view?ts=57191ab1

It was less than reassuring to see that the big hitters behind the venture have invested an underwhelming  £1,000 in the company. Of the 1000 shares -a mere 50 quids worth are owned by  Nicklaus Design LLC.

However this is an entirely sensible approach as potential investors obviously need reassuring that the not inconsiderable obstacles of planning and conservation regulations in general and those relating to the Green Belt in particular can be overcome.

At least the people behind NJVG seem to have a track record of undertaking such a project  when they set up the Pentre Nicklaus Village over a decade ago.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/nicklaus-village-homes-demand-2476840

What is also apparent is that the Hoylake Golf Resort proposals seem to very much follow the pattern of  Pentre Nicklaus Village  project which incorporated a housing development alongside a golf course.

Indeed it seems that the only way of making the  Hoylake Golf Resort project viable is by building 150+ luxury homes on Green Belt land. With Wirral Council having already spent an estimated £275,000 on consultants trying to make this scheme stack up it would seem that they think this is a sacrifice worth making. This all begs the question as to whether the real aim (and moneyspinner) here is the housing development and whether the golf resort is the means of achieving that aim.