HHP Update / Funding

Beast_Guy wrote:

The Whole Shooting Match has gone Tits Up.
There will be no Development

Amen to that

I just dont see brents village ever getting off the ground its a proper mess of a scheme! another good sign being his super fan lackey said it would start september 2013 now its 2014 soon to be 2015!     

Rickler wrote:

There are legalities involved in all of this..  Brent has contracts to fulfill.  He can't just do whatever he feels like.

I feel HHP will get built, but to even worse ideals than it is now.

RIP Home Park.

Foreshore. It's a tragedy, but Brent has way too much potential profit tied up in the whole HHP/Millbay project for him to let it slide.

I'm sure he'll build something just out of stubbornness and spite even if all of his potential partners pull out, it'll probably end up looking like the open air market at the bottom of western approach during the 70's and 80's.   

If all the 'stalls' had green and white covers....

Argyle still wouldn't get all the income   

To actually make a development in Central Park a going concern for interested businesses, there wouldn't half need to be massive changes in the plan to convince investors of footfall, and I just can't see how that can be accomodated in the AAP. And surely everyone knows IMAX cinemas and Ice Skating are not the future. This is likely to run and run, with Brent just waiting it out. And waiting and waiting. I still think the Pavillion thing staying at Milbay doesn't make sense. Maybe that will all be rethought. That could take years

His property stuff to date, including the Oldway thing, doesn't look good. I think he's out of his depth, and by the reported behaviour of some of the Akkeron people at the Theatre Royal, so are the employees.

From day one it all seemed like an amateur fek up of massive proportions but I assumed that as the old boy was worth a packet he must have known what he was doing, but now I'm starting to think that he is just awfully nice, but a bit dim.

Remember, this is a bloke that thought Newell was bright enough to pull of his PR spin for him, so what does that tell you about Brent? He brought in Jones and Webb as popular and respected fans that would provide him with a perception of being a lip trembler, but did he really think that we are all as stupid as the very few remaining supporters of his silly little stand and that we would all just lay down and accept whatever those two wannabe socialites told us?

I am really not so sure that we will ever see Jim buy a concrete block for Home Park, even if our friend has a dossier on him spinning around in flickr somewhere. Something just doesn't smell right about the guy that "walks the walk".

That story in the WMN isn't actually in the WMN! Unless it appears in tomorrows paper, it is only an on line story, which isn't much use for all the Argyle fans in the wider South West who read the actual paper and not on line. I shall look with interest tomorrow morning.

As for the story itself? The AFT are only saying what many fans are thinking. I wouldn't call HHP a dead duck just yet but if I was the CEO of a car park operator and one of my employees came to me with a business plan to put money into a brand new car park next door to two other FREE car parks; that employee wouldn't be getting this years bonus.

It certainly raises a lot of questions. Far too many for the PASB and it's three questions per meeting. Over to the AFT.

Jack Sheppard wrote:

I'm sure he'll build something just out of stubbornness and spite even if all of his potential partners pull out, it'll probably end up looking like the open air market at the bottom of western approach during the 70's and 80's.    

You may be onto something. At same time you had Ice Rink inside inflatable domes where the Pavillions now stand.

Dougie wrote:

I wondered how one might go about leasing one of these units.  Well Messrs. Montagu Evans are there to help.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Call me thick but I hadn't realised how many retail units were on offer. I had thought they were only to be under the stand not loads more under the cinema & ice-rink.

How the feck are the going to get that number of quality restaurants & sports related shops!?

Hmm.. "Quality restaurants".

I remember that phrase being used long ago, I think by James Brent himself but I am happy to be corrected if it wasn't, when objections to fast food joints being opened up where aired.

It's another example of the mission creep which defines much of what has happened.

Although the actual restaurants are yet to be confirmed it appears that KFC (fast food) has been elbowed out by Nando's ("quality restaurant"), Dominos Pizza (fast) by Pizza Express (quality) and so on.

Well call me a snob if you like but I don't really see them or Frankie & Benny's or TGI Friday's or any of the other franchised chains as being representative of quality.

We have plenty of high profile local chefs, and some with national renown, currently plying their wares in or around Plymouth. Why not stamp some local identity onto this bleak, corporate nightmare and engage with some of them? After all it would be entirely consistent with Brent's earlier pledge that Argyle is to be more of a community hub than it was in the past, would hugely raise the profile and prestige attached to the finished development and attract punters with serious dosh to spend.

In mainly ways those two words, "quality restaurants", perfectly encapsulate the breech of promise made from the outset of this farrago and pave the way directly to the abomination that Brent plans to visit upon us.

"Quality restaurants" my arse.

Sir Frank, I have heard the general words "quality restaurants" or the statement that they wouldn't be fast food joints used by Messrs Brent, Jones & one of the Argyle reps at the Palace variety show.

ole james business plan for the clusterfuck is based on current form/attendance.
his quality restaurant idea is based on pie inthe sky. does he want his cake and to eat it?

too many buns, er, puns in this post. serious qusetion though. in order for his plan to work out to his advantage, he would need leasees in place before the work commences. honestly, what quality restaurant would want to be a part of this development...

baa fooon

Perhaps he's referring to our annual Park allotments  barbecue. Now that's real quality, as local, fresh and organic as is humanly possible. Not to mention the fermented blackberries.

To call the whole development process from it's inception to where we are now amateurish would be a massive insult to amateurs the World over, Oh for someone to buy the Club and do the job properly.

Richard Blight wrote:

That story in the WMN isn't actually in the WMN! Unless it appears in tomorrows paper, it is only an on line story, which isn't much use for all the Argyle fans in the wider South West who read the actual paper and not on line. I shall look with interest tomorrow morning.

As for the story itself? The AFT are only saying what many fans are thinking. I wouldn't call HHP a dead duck just yet but if I was the CEO of a car park operator and one of my employees came to me with a business plan to put money into a brand new car park next door to two other FREE car parks; that employee wouldn't be getting this years bonus.

It certainly raises a lot of questions. Far too many for the PASB and it's three questions per meeting. Over to the AFT.

BTW, this story wasn't in today's WMN either, so I'm not sure how many people outside of Plymouth would have seen it. Loads of Argyle fans in the greater South West take the WMN to keep up with Argyle's news. They didn't see this story!

paragraph from the last meeting of TFOCP  11/02/2014

3. Akkeron/Community Forum update from Tom Lowry:

1. No further news from Akkeron since November. Big balancing act between financial issues and leasing. Lot to work out and have in place before moving forward. Contribution funds will be paid the moment Akkeron start digging.

2. There is a study into the drainage for the whole park to be considered.

3. Phase 1 will be to upgrade the sports plateaux.

4. Master plan is not a fix in principle if things come forward.

5. They are still keen to do toilets/café/two changing rooms’ hub.

Response: Again discussion about this and questions as to: who ‘pulls’ the agenda strings on things such as the £1.1M spending. What actually is this being spent on? Those who had been previously involved in the idea of the community orchard found it surprising that it was now being done fully by
Akkeron. It was interesting to hear that PCC are still keen to do the café hub etc.

Interestingly, the group was informed that at the planning meeting re developing the Civil Service land, the building on the cricket area was justified by Robert Heard because there was a new cricket pitch in the Central Park Master plan. Discussion took place as to where the new cricket pitch was planned on Central park? We will try to get some clarification.

I quote from the last viewable page-

montagu-evans wrote:

Restaurant and Retail Units
The retail and restaurant units are available in a variety of sizes as shown on the plans, with opportunities for external seating. At this stage there is the opportunity to vary the sizes to suit a tenant’s specific requirements.
Rights and Terms
The units will be available for a term by arrangement on new FRI leases, subject to 5-yearly upward only rent reviews. Rent on application to the retained agents – see details
on next page.

So Argyle will sell the Grandstand units to a company that will only rent/ lease them out? What's the point?

Tgwu wrote:

Interestingly, the group was informed that at the planning meeting re developing the Civil Service land, the building on the cricket area was justified by Robert Heard because there was a new cricket pitch in the Central Park Master plan. Discussion took place as to where the new cricket pitch was planned on Central park? We will try to get some clarification.

## PCC Bag O' ## has the Masterplan docs from when Tudor went "green". The Cricket Pitch is shown in it's old location owned by Stapleton & co

TFOCP meeting
quote

Park services leave Central Park in the near future. What happens next to this land and the old cricket area?

Its not being built lads its really not. Its all been pie in the sky from day dot.
Brent hasn't a scobie in what he's trying to achieve. Expect a formal pull out within 3 months. This is an undone deal make no mistake     

 

if paul thomas says as much you know its going to happen very soon

Perhaps brent will sell with the planning permission now in place, would surely add value to argyle ??

Dane. wrote:

Perhaps brent will sell with the planning permission now in place, would surely add value to argyle ??

Doesn't take much to add value to Gargyle.

The reason why the brakes have come on is that Brent has finally worked out that this deal is not the pot of gold he thought it was, to me it looks a particularly poor development, in the wrong place, in what it has to be said is not exactly a booming area, now general market conditions have moved against this type of development the price tag for the Diddy stand must be looking less like value as each day passes.

One good thing will come from this of course, you anti Diddy stand boys will be able to follow through with your alternate plan to replace the Mayflower with the Mega stand, I shall look forward to seeing the designs with a particular interest in the funding arrangements.

Snigger.

Lord Tisdale wrote:

Dane. wrote:

Perhaps brent will sell with the planning permission now in place, would surely add value to argyle ??

Doesn't take much to add value to Gargyle.

The reason why the brakes have come on is that Brent has finally worked out that this deal is not the pot of gold he thought it was, to me it looks a particularly poor development, in the wrong place, in what it has to be said is not exactly a booming area, now general market conditions have moved against this type of development the price tag for the Diddy stand must be looking less like value as each day passes.

One good thing will come from this of course, you anti Diddy stand boys will be able to follow through with your alternate plan to replace the Mayflower with the Mega stand, I shall look forward to seeing the designs with a particular interest in the funding arrangements.

Snigger.

I'd be more than happy to keep what we have, refurbish it with some shiny new plastic seats up top and in the terraced area below, give it all a lick of paint, chuck a new carpet down in the business lounge for greensleeves and his pals and wave Jimmy off into the sunset leaving the job for somebody with a bit more ambition for the club to do properly in the future.......................i fear that's not going to happen though, he's got too much riding on it to just walk away.