So the inevitable happened. In what was called a 'landmark decision' - presumably because a landmark is being demolished - the planning committee of Bradford Council voted by a 5-2 margin to demolish the former New Victoria/Gaumont/Odeon building. So, coming very soon, despite many hundreds of objections, there is to be yet another hole in the ground in the city centre. That the opportunity to have a medium sized concert hall that could be adapted to many community uses should be completely overlooked by Bradford Council should serve as no surprise; City Hall is about the last place in the known universe where you'd find any joined up thinking. Or anyone with a brain, really.
The thing that really winds me up is not the Council but our (though given I've not lived there in more than six years, the term 'our' seems a bit odd) local evening 'newspaper'. It has, from day one, been a servile cheerleader for Bradford Centre Regeneration, a quango not elected by you, the Bradford voter. The demolition of the Odeon building was explicitly not included in the Council's Urban Development plan, but is/was the brainchild of Yorkshire Forward and BCR. One of the various 'steering groups' in all of this was in regard to the concept of a concert hall in the City Centre. St. George's Hall is not the biggest venue, and so there were two obvious sites; renovate the Odeon or extend St George's.
Now here's the interesting bit. One floated idea to improve capacity is to extend St George's Hall by demolishing the Telegraph and Argus 'newspaper' building behind it. Therefore it's likely the owners of the T&A would profit handsomely for having to move. So who sat on both the board of BCR, and was also present as a member of the concert hall steering group? Yes, your very own T&A editor, Perry Austin-Clarke, apparently not at all of the notion that it's a conflict of interest in writing editorials demanding the demolition of the 'dilapidated' building, while his paymasters could potentially profit handsomely from policy shaped by committees that he himself sat on. The stream of negative stories in the build up to this week's decision is like having their cake and eating it.
It's a sad state of affairs that it's the Leeds based Yorkshire Post that is the only source of non 'spun' stories on the regeneration of Bradford. But I'll gladly give the T&A a bit of free advice. If they need a site for a new building, there's one just up the road, here. You know, that one that they have just as obsequiously cheered for, and haven't written one remotely critical piece on. Ever. Despite it now being five years since demolition. A bit of free advice to T&A readers: think about cancelling this third rate rag.
The thing that really winds me up is not the Council but our (though given I've not lived there in more than six years, the term 'our' seems a bit odd) local evening 'newspaper'. It has, from day one, been a servile cheerleader for Bradford Centre Regeneration, a quango not elected by you, the Bradford voter. The demolition of the Odeon building was explicitly not included in the Council's Urban Development plan, but is/was the brainchild of Yorkshire Forward and BCR. One of the various 'steering groups' in all of this was in regard to the concept of a concert hall in the City Centre. St. George's Hall is not the biggest venue, and so there were two obvious sites; renovate the Odeon or extend St George's.
Now here's the interesting bit. One floated idea to improve capacity is to extend St George's Hall by demolishing the Telegraph and Argus 'newspaper' building behind it. Therefore it's likely the owners of the T&A would profit handsomely for having to move. So who sat on both the board of BCR, and was also present as a member of the concert hall steering group? Yes, your very own T&A editor, Perry Austin-Clarke, apparently not at all of the notion that it's a conflict of interest in writing editorials demanding the demolition of the 'dilapidated' building, while his paymasters could potentially profit handsomely from policy shaped by committees that he himself sat on. The stream of negative stories in the build up to this week's decision is like having their cake and eating it.
It's a sad state of affairs that it's the Leeds based Yorkshire Post that is the only source of non 'spun' stories on the regeneration of Bradford. But I'll gladly give the T&A a bit of free advice. If they need a site for a new building, there's one just up the road, here. You know, that one that they have just as obsequiously cheered for, and haven't written one remotely critical piece on. Ever. Despite it now being five years since demolition. A bit of free advice to T&A readers: think about cancelling this third rate rag.
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