Latest News
- Everton’s £130M Wrangle
- How to Lobby the GONW (Government)
- Destination Kirkby Right on course..
- KEIOC thank John Keith and the Everton Shareholders Association for “The Dixie Dean Story” production
- Destination Kirkby Liaison Group minutes from second meeting published
- KEIOC Interview Croke Park stadium director
- 1st 4 Kirkby help loosen Labour's Kirkby stranglehold
- Liverpool Echo report on stadium finance
- Daily Post believe Destination Kirkby project will be called in
- Local Media reports Everton Legal Threat [Liverpool Daily Post] [Liverpool Echo]
- New Everton stadium will kill us, say Kirkby traders
- Turbulent Priest maintains historic tradition of protecting flock
- Traditionalist Moyes has his own ideas about the stadium move...
- 2,386 Fans led astray by Club and Council during Ballot Process
- Club spin doctors silenced by Councils planning refusal on Bellefield
- Case study: Emirates Stadium transport problems (same consultants Steer Davies Gleave contracted for Everton stadium)
- Knowsley Councillors to object to stadium, Lib Dem want government to call project in
Two exasperated shareholders have decided that enough is enough with the lack of answers, transparency, spin doctoring and propaganda surrounding the Kirkby move and have taken matters into their own hands by requesting an EGM. If successful the meeting is bound to prove uncomfortable for Phillip Green’s friends, here’s what the two guys had to say recently:
As lifelong Evertonians we feel that it is necessary to request an Extraordinary General Meeting of Everton Football Club to discuss the wisdom of relocating the club to Kirkby. It is our view that the long-term welfare of Everton Football Club is under serious threat as the proposed move to Kirkby does not offer a sound basis for a future business plan.
The Government Office for the North West (GONW) have requested an extension to decide whether or not to refer the planning application to Secretary of State for a public inquiry.
Usually the GONW has three weeks to make their decision but a spokesman said that due to the sheer scale of the planned development, they require more time: "We have applied for more time to consider the application because of its size.
"That information has been sent to Knowsley council and to the developers.
"The statutory provision prevents the local authority going ahead and acting on planning permission. Inside 21 days, it is difficult to consider all the possible ramifications of an application of this scale."
Ian Ross, the club's head of public relations told the Liverpool Daily Post that he expects to hear GONW's decision in the next week: "we don't expect it to be any longer than a week extra, although we don't know that for sure, obviously."
Everton FC's head of public relations, Ian Ross has revealed to the Estate Gazette (the 'subscription only' commercial property magazine) that the club are relying on favours from the Labour government to allow the stadium as part of 'Destination Kirkby' to be approved.
In the article dated 21/06/08 Ross is quoted as saying: "The plan could still get called in, but I'm hoping that, with backing from a Labour council and support from the local Labour MP, a Labour government might see it as not worth calling it in. But a delay of a year while we have a public inquiry could kill this."
The former journalist also insists that players must take priority over a new stadium:
"The primary concern has to be to look after the team, and if you go back to the all-seater stadium developments of 20 years ago, you'll see that some teams paid a heavy price for investing in their stadiums and neglecting their squads. We won't do that."
Meanwhile, in a contradictory article in today's (24/06/08) Liverpool Daily Post the local paper bizarrely reports that the stadium being called in would result in the transfer fund for new players being "curtailed."
Ross went on to inform the Estate Gazette that the Kings Dock project was "perhaps too spectacular" and that this time around Everton, Tesco and Knowsley Council clearly know what they must provide financially.
Knowsley's Chief Executive Officer Sheena Ramsey said the financial viability of the Destination Kirkby scheme is "very tight" and she revealed Knowsley Council have a plan B:
"We would hope we could encourage other investors into the area if the stadium plan isn't a success."
The Estate Gazette also reports Ian Ross as saying that Everton FC will look to redevelop Goodison Park should the proposed Kirkby plans not be given the green light, although there were no direct quotes on this issue.
KEIOC would like to take this opportunity to ask Mr Ross if he could possibly take time out from his busy schedule in order to inform all Evertonians exactly where we the loyal supporters, and our football club currently stand.
An independent retail assessment of 'Destinantion Kirkby' by KMBC consultants Roger, Tym & Partners (RTP), a report that despite the promises of KMBC was witheld from surrounding local authorities , has once again underlined the huge conflict between the Tesco Stores Limited proposals and national, regional and local retail and town centre planning policies. Despite bowing to the "immense pressure" from senior Knowsley Councillors to recommend the Tesco planning application, Knowsley officers not only made it abundantly clear that they were in agreement with the damning Roger, Tym & Partners retail assessment, they repeatedly raised their 'real concerns' that the 'full benefits' of 'Destination Kirkby' as promoted by Tesco, 'have not been secured and may not be delivered.'
Knowsley officers agreed with RTP that;
- the application fails the needs test.
- the scale of the proposal is inconsistent with the role of Kirkby town centre in the wider retail hierarchy.
- the proposal is in conflict with the sequential policy test.
- the judgement reached by RTP is more realistic (than that of Tesco) and to be preferred.
As predicted by KEIOC, Knowsley Cllrs were minded to grant permission of this application citing that the benefits to Kirkby and Knowsley outweighed the wide and varying non-compliance with planning policies. This despite their officers warning that the 'full benefits' of Destination Kirkby' could not be secured and were not guaranteed to be delivered by Tesco Stores Limited;
'......negotiations with the applicant (and the commercial considerations that Tesco are subject to) have not allowed your officers to achieve such an outcome......'
Thankfully for all concerned Kirkby residents and Evertonians, this planning application is now out of the hands of KMBC.
For the summary of the advice given by Roger, Tym & Partners and the Knowsley officers' assessment, read on...
The 1st 4 Kirkby political party have announced plans for a Motor Cavalcade on Saturday June 21st, they are meeting at the new Kirkby Sports Centre at 2.00 p.m. and driving around the Town centre in support of the Residents who will lose their homes and the Kirkby traders.
