Mr D Brewett – Carpenter Investments

Mr Brewett commented that he had worked on The Sail Project, with Council officers, since 2004. He set out the proposed investment which, in addition to the provision of a new sailing school, would see a first class restaurant on the site. He maintained that the development could be achieved without a significant net loss of parking spaces and commented that the offer was well in excess of the value of the car park. Although shocked at the decision of the Cabinet, Carpenter Investments remained committed to the project, which would create fifty new jobs, and he expressed the view that the opposition to the scheme was from a significant minority.

In response to questions from Members in relation to parking issues, Mr Brewett indicated that the provision of increased on-street parking could be explored further. However, such issues would be addressed within a traffic impact assessment that had not yet been required by the Council. He stated that the small scale of the hotel meant that it was not economically viable to proceed with semi-underground parking that had previously been considered.

Jonty Meisner – Lakeside Orthodontist

Mr Meisner advised the Committee that his business was in a residential location adjacent to the site. He believed that only a vocal minority of residents were opposed to the scheme and he referred to the benefits of such a scheme to West Kirby in terms of civic pride and raising the profile of the town.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration referred to a petition in relation to parking problems that had been considered by the Cabinet in 2009. In response, Mr Meisner commented that his business overlooked the Dee Lane car park, which he believed to be significantly underused. Although the opinions expressed were his own, Mr Meisner also stated that most people he had spoken to in the local area were very positive and were fully aware of the benefits of The Sail Project.

Dan Meigh – Head of Drama, Calday Grange Grammar School

Mr Meigh indicated that, in addition to being employed at Calday Grange Grammar School, he had a business in West Kirby and also lived in the area. He believed there to be significant local support for the project and incredulity that the Council did not intend to proceed with the development. He had also sought the views of young people, who were also very supportive and saw the project as a real opportunity for the area

Sarah Beer – Consultant for Carpenter Investments

Mrs Beer advised the Committee that, in 2008, she had undertaken the, as yet, only published consultation exercise in relation to The Sail project. Although it had originally been marked as exempt by the Council, it had subsequently been released following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. She had sent invitations to 8000 local households to the consultation event at West Kirby Concourse and, out of some 1200 attendees, approximately 600 questionnaires had been completed. Every comment was recorded and analysis of the responses suggested that a significant majority of residents were generally in favour of the project. She provided a brief explanation of how the analysis was undertaken and indicated that of the objections, the main factor appeared not to be related to parking, but to the size of the scheme. The developers had listened to the results of the consultation and the scheme had been changed because of it. However, the objectors had not been prepared to consider any sort of compromise.

She commented that 12% of the consultation respondents were opposed to the scheme and suggested that claims by local Councillors of 98% of local people being opposed to it were not plausible. She acknowledged that the consultation exercise was undertaken some two and a half years ago but, in that elapsed period, she had continued to consult with local residents on an informal basis. She maintained that local people remained very supportive of the scheme and suggested that the level of support was hardening. In response to comments in relation to the impartiality of the survey, Councillor Foulkes advised the Committee that it had been a decision of the Cabinet that the developer would arrange for consultation to be undertaken, rather then for it to have been done by the Council.

In response to a question from a Member, Mrs Beer stated that she was very concerned that local Councillors, who had been hostile to the scheme from the outset, were ignoring the view of a majority who were in favour of the development. She believed that the parking issue had been elevated by endless complaints from a small number of people and it mattered greatly that the spectrum of opinion was acknowledged by the Council.

Paul Askew – Chef Patron, London Carriage Works Restaurant,

  Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool

Mr Askew advised the Committee that, since the opening of the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool, in 2003, Carpenter Investments had demonstrated their commitment to quality and he expressed a view that the proposed Sail project would be an excellent scheme, which would raise the profile of West Kirby. It would provide employment opportunities for local people and would help drive tourism and the local economy. He referred to recent achievements of local chefs, which included winners of Young Chef of the Year and Professional Masterchef, and the award of a Michelin star to Fresh in Oxton. The developers had shown a commitment that the proposed restaurant at The Sail would be of similar quality to that at the London Carriage Works and the hotel would replicate the success of the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool.

In response to questions from members, Mr Askew commented that, due in part to the Wirral Year of Food initiative, a clear demand had been demonstrated for quality dining in Wirral. There also seemed to be strong local support in West Kirby for the Sail project to succeed.

Phil Black –   Enforcement Manager, Parking Services

  Technical Services Department

In response to questions from Members, Mr Black advised the Committee of the type of information that would be included within a Traffic Impact Assessment. It would normally be undertaken by a developer once a project had been finalised in order to inform the planning process. It would consider the scale of a development and would provide information to enable a view to be reached in relation to the net impact of a development on both traffic and parking. He reported also upon the number of parking tickets sold in West Kirby and commented that the usage of the Dee Lane Car Park was hugely variable. The average occupancy of the car park was 35% but at certain times could be completely full, largely dependent on the weather.

In relation to concerns expressed by Members that the proposed scheme could result in a net overall loss of parking spaces, Mr Black commented that it was not possible for officers to reach a conclusion without a traffic assessment having been completed.

Councillor S Holbrook – Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources

Councillor G Gardiner – Cabinet Member for Environment

Councillor Holbrook confirmed that, as Councillor Green had left the room during the consideration of the matter by the Cabinet on 14 October 2010, he had chaired that part of the meeting. He restated his support for the Sail project and he referred to the text of Cabinet minute 160, which contained a motion that he had moved, seconded by Councillor Gardiner, which would have given the developers more time to resolve the parking problems. He hoped that the Committee would support what he had moved at the Cabinet meeting.

Councillor Gardiner confirmed that she was a resident of West Kirby and believed that most local people were in favour of the scheme. She expressed a view that the decision of the Cabinet had been premature, given that there were no other proposals that would achieve the Council’s aims of ‘enabling works’ being undertaken to refurbish the sailing school. The lock out agreement had ended 18 months ago and, despite wide publicity, no other ‘enabling schemes’ had been proposed. She believed that the hotel would be a first rate development and that a quality sailing school would be provided. In addition, having been prepared to make changes to the proposed scheme, Carpenter Investments had demonstrated a willingness to address the concerns that had been made by a sector of West Kirby residents.

With regard to the ‘spur’ car park, Councillor Gardiner commented that she did not agree with Councillor Holbrook that it should be retained solely for lake users. It was rarely full and she believed that there was scope for it also to be used by the general public. The barrier to the car park had been controlled for some time and its joint use by lake users and visitors had not resulted in any problems. She also expressed a view that officers could consider the feasibility of ‘herringbone’ parking along The Parade.

In response to questions from Members, Councillor Holbrook indicated that although the Council would lose nothing in allowing time for a traffic impact assessment to be completed, it would gain more evidence upon which to base a decision.

Alan Beer – Carpenter Investments

Mr Beer thanked those people in attendance who had given their time to show support for The Sail project. He believed the scheme to be of major importance and commented that a significant amount of time and money had been invested in it. From the outset, there had been an acceptance that there would be a loss of parking spaces and the company was angry and disappointed at the decision of the Cabinet that appeared to have been influenced by a small number of local Councillors, who had allowed the project to become politicised. He referred to an apology from Councillor Ellis that was recorded within Cabinet minute 160, in relation to quotes that had been attributed to him in the local press that the Cabinet would not proceed with the project. Although Councillor Ellis informed the Cabinet that he had been misquoted, Mr Beer alleged that on 21 September 2010, Councillor Ellis had indeed told local residents and the press that the process would go no further following the next Cabinet meeting. This had been reported to the Council’s Monitoring Officer.

Mr Beer believed that the majority of residents were very supportive of The Sail project. However, a small group had influenced a Cabinet decision, which made it clear that no net loss of parking spaces would be accepted. This had demonstrated that the provision of parking spaces was of greater importance than a sailing school, hotel or other development. Mr Beer commented that an evaluation of the offer had shown that it provided good value for money to the Council. He expressed an opinion that the decision of the Cabinet would have a negative impact in relation to other investors being prepared to invest in Wirral. He hoped that the decision would be referred back to the Cabinet and that they would demonstrate that the Council was serious about doing business.