No-show firm are ‘disrespectful’
●
AN MP has said he wants to bulldoze a dilapidated Runcorn eyesore and dump the rubble on the building’s owners’ lawn after a boss from the company failed to turn up for a fact-finding tour of the site
Mike Amesbury, Weaver Vale, slammed USA-based Shah Capital Ltd after director Sohail Shah did not attend a scheduled meeting with Mr Amebusy at the derelict East Lane House on Friday.
He branded the no-show for the tour, which was arranged by Halton Borough Council, as ‘disrespectful’.
Mr Amesbury said he planned to press Mr Shah on his plans for the asbestos-blighted former Department For Employment building and demand answers.
He has now vowed to make resolving the building’s problems one of his priorities.
The Labour MP said the building’s owners have been served with a Section 215 untidy land notice demanding that it cleans up the graffiti, removes the asbestos and secures the site.
The building has planning permission in place for conversion into 448 flats, 394 of them singlebedroom studios and 54 one-bed flats, which was originally granted to the now-defunct Absolute Living Developments, which was accused of ripping off investors by Hong Kong lawmaker James To Kun-sun.
The project was only approved after the Planning Inspectorate overturned Halton Borough Council’s refusal to back the scheme at appeal. scheme ever seen’ by Halton’s
Land Registry deeds showed development control committee. that the building was owned by In May last year, children had to Rochdale-registered 2380 Reverbe ‘decontaminated’ by firefightsions Ltd, which bought it for £1m ers after entering the derelict site. in 2014, and was sold to Shah Mr Amesbury said: “The owner Capital for £1.65m on October 12 of this dilapidated monstrosity of last year after going under the a building failed to turn up to a hammer in September. meeting with me, local council
Halton Lea ward councillor lors and council officers. Alan Lowe said East Lane House “He was supposed to be has been derelict since govern-. informing us face-to-face of his ment office workers were moved plans to transform this site. out in 2001 or 2002, contrasting “His no show was disrespectful against a design and access stateto us all, especially local residents ment filed by Absolute Living who have had that insult of a site Developments (ALD) that said it staring them in the face, day in, has been derelict since 2008. day out for years.
Cllr Lowe made representa“What must happen is for this tions on behalf of residents in place to be pulled down. 2015, slamming the proposals as “If I had my way the rubble preparing the way for the ‘slums would be transported to San of the future’. Diego and dumped outside the
Colleague Cllr Dave Thompson owner’s property with a note saydeclared the ALD plans the ‘worst ing ‘with love from Runcorn’.”