Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Give over Stevie R ;)
The conspiracy merchants on here will go into overdrive AND it says Joseph Easton is the applicant !! there must be a whole tribe of Eastons looking to take over the town.
:D

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Surely no link there then.......

Happy to discuss it on here, and actually for once it fits with the town centre changes title of the thread.

So there are 2 buildings here 26 (a shop fronted premises on the right) and 28 which is not a shopfront but a large glazed window that you can't see through - the left building.

26 will stay as is - it was zoned for office use, and doesn't require any change to be used as a shop. This building will complete around end August.

28 is more of a problem in terms of what to do with it. It is currently designated as Office - and downstairs it could stay as office. I don't think there's much demand for office on Warner Street and actually I don't think historically office should have been approved for what is clearly a shopping street. In terms of making this a shop, that wont work for 28. Obviously it was a house back in 1820 when built and it retains it's heavy central supporting wall between splitting the front from back of the ground floor. That's not easy to remove, and also there is no shop frontage - just the hideous window that you can see.

The upstairs of 28 can and should be a 1 bedroom flat. I don't need planning permission for change of use to that, thanks to the governments sensible rules on converting commercial to residential above ground floor level. So that will be a 1 bed.

The downstairs will also be a 1 bed, if passed, and an office if not. As it can't be a shop, I think residential is better than office because office may not rent so easily.

I know from many discussions here that there's a shortage of 1 bed flats in the town - well here's 2 that I'm looking to create. They'll be in brand new condition when done. To save some typing about how I'm here only to take advantage of the townsfolk, I would point out that I plan to let these 1 bed flats at 350 pounds a month. If you look at rightmove you'll find that's the absolute cheapest accommodation anywhere in the town. These though will be finished to brand new standard and so cannot be compared with others.

To DP's point - Joe is my father, who worked for 52 years in the building trade for Robert McAlpine and knows way more than I will ever know about buildings. I have been living in Singapore so he's better placed than I as the person on the ground to deal with builders/tradesman/councilors/regulators and all the people that need to be involved in such a project.

If possible lets debate the buildings and their use (historical and future) rather sidetracking to attempt to attack me.

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

That'll do for me Mr E :D

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Page 4 this weeks Observer needs a mention. All the "naysayers" on here have gone quiet.

Town Centre Changes
 

Don't believe everything you read DP. Only about 2 in 10 quotes in that article are accurate. Most of it is a work of fiction.

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

You'll be telling me that's not even a picture of you next Graham :cool:

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Good of you to say so, perhaps you can give us the true version?
:)

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Well it is the New Accrington Observer after all:D

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

I did see the article but felt that GEaston needed no extra publicity from me.

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Nice to read the article in the Observer Mr Easton Glad to read that someone has faith in Accrington town centre and is investing their money into it.

Pardon me whilst I go for the bucket, he's doing it because he can make a profit, not because he loves Accrington.
Whilst I have no objection at all to him investing and making that profit, I do object to the idea he should be either thanked or be idolised as if he is a benefactor, he's buying property around here because it's cheap.

Good luck to him, I hope he makes his money, but don't expect him to move to the district because he won't he can't afford to improve it that much.
:(

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

What I cant understand Less, is WHY you criticise someone you dont even know?

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

Well, to be honest. the Observer made him sound like the saviour of Accrington, and while I appreciate that he is doing what he can with renovating a few buildings.....he is doing it for purely finacial reasons...there is no philanthropy in it....and it needs a lot more that what Mr Easton can do to save the town.
I think that is being purely realistic Atarah...rather than critical.

You should read his posts, the scum of the Earth is higher in his opinion than anyone that dares to question his motives.
By the way reading between the lines even though he came close to saying it, he would bring in euthanasia for the scum of the Earth!

Re: Town Centre Changes
 

#842 refers Less.... let's can the idolatry bit, his motivations are his business and yeah to your "Good Luck to Him"
AND there are beneficiaries to his investments in the town.

Who was it sang "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative" ?