Developers go to war over plans for town
TWO developers at the centre of ambitious plans to bring big name stores to Spalding have locked horns over the benefits their schemes will bring to the town.
After claims in the Spalding Guardian on Thursday that the Holland Market development would not bring any benefits for the people of South Holland, a furious Michael Moran, who represents Holland Market owner Corbo’s interests in the UK, is believed to have contacted Richard Garvie to express his anger.
Mr Garvie, the man behind plans for a Sustainable Spalding regeneration company, revealed plans to bring a supermarket and cinema to a 12-acre site off the A151 opposite Spalding’s McDonalds.
He claims it would generate millions of pounds of investment and pay for the running costs of a regeneration company for five years, while Holland Market plans would “not lead to any new investment in new facilities for Spalding”.
Corbo has threatened to take legal action against Mr Garvie unless he publicly retracts his statement.
Mr Moran told the Lincolnshire Free Press: “I had a rather blunt conversation with him and I told him we take it very seriously when someone makes false claims about our scheme.
“He hasn’t got a clue what we are doing.”
Town leaders have dismissed Mr Garvie’s plan as “pie in the sky”, saying he has not come forward with any concrete evidence to back up claims the site was the option preferred by the majority of people he talked to during a consultation exercise last year.
Jason Rooke, chairman of Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce, said: “It strikes me that Mr Garvie’s plan hasn’t got any legs, but even if it did, what would we prefer – a development within the town, albeit to the side of the town centre, or one on the outskirts of town?
“To me the town needs development, not the bypass, so my feeling would be that if Holland Market is done carefully it would be a positive thing.
“To say that Holland Market development would not lead to investment in the town is ridiculous, because there are plans for additional community facilities such as the football stadium.”
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Weather for Spalding
Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 20 comments to this article
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Doo Hickey
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 05:11 PMRight then! - 'always available to answer questions'? - one to be going on with would be WHEN did this "3,300" Survey take place, WHERE and by WHO did the actual work? - simple, straight forward and should be no problem to a high flyer like you Mr Garvie - we await your reply via this site soon as you got this information from the public so therefore the public have a right to know as if you cannot give direct answers now, why would we trust you in the future, so a reply would be nice AND normal - but I won't hold my breath on it...
BengalLancer
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 06:27 PMPending Moderation
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 01:15 PMDevelopers will want to invest in developers, not Spalding. Companies must make a profit or go out of business. They do not want to develop the town, they want to increase their profits. The sooner everybody realise this the better.
ysandy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 09:48 PMO come on mr garvie not everyone wants to phone you not everyone can e-mail you, so come on mr garvie come face to face with the people again like you did with 3.000 or more was it, and open an empty shop up and talk to the people
richard.garvie
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 07:59 PMI'm always available to answer any questions from anyone, my mobile number is 07411 488324 or you can email me at info@richardgarvie.com. I will not make any financial gain if Holbeach Road is developed, my main driver is the fact that I want to see a regeneration company in Spalding. I would be lying if I said that my motivation wasn't to become the person running the regeneration company IF it was to go ahead, but that decision would not be one that was made by myself, but by the trustees apointed (more than likely councillors business leaders council officers etc.). The results of the surveys have been made public, but the actual documentation will only be released to support a planning application as other information given to officers at the council seemingly found it's way into the hands of another developer. Things are moving very quickly, and I wouldn't rule any development in or out at this stage, the positive thing is that we now have people lining up to invest in Spalding, regeneration company or no regeneration company.
St229
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:14 PMgive us an asda
Lazy Daisy
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 07:48 AMSo Mr Garvie's plans to obstruct the A16 Spalding by-pass with queueing traffic are revealed. After all that money spent on the new road too.
James Mark
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11:13 PMPlease just get on with it and come forward with plans for the town centre site.
englishspalding
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:37 PMthe 'redevelopment' of Sir Halley Stewart field is hardly town centre. The town centre, you know that pedestrianised bit from near Sheep Market to the old Woolworths shop, needs sorting out - NOT HAVING YET ANOTHER OUT OF TOWN DEVELOPMENT. Come on SHDC, sort this out and look after your town centre, not line your pockets. Reject both plans, do something constructive for the town. We cannot get rid of Halley Stewart - otherwise yet another piece of local history will be lost. Dare we mention the Corn Exchange?
ysandy
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:34 PMStill waiting for that empty shop to open what mr garvie was going to have to show people his plans, but mines a NO with him, it's the town centre that wants idea's on, no football field no piece of land out of town, it's the town centre that wants ideas.
Soap Opera
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:32 PMI don't want to see 'handbags at dawn' and developers fighting, I want to see real plans for the town that can come to fruition. There are enough dramas on TV for us to watch unfold.
ElizaC
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:00 PMAnyone who has read any local paper in the last 10 years will know that OUT of town sites kill town centres dead. Investment IN TOWN is what Spalding needs,and from what I have read in the paper only one option offers this, along with a new football stadium and community facility, replacement green space, jobs and an improved shopping experience ~ remind me again with such benefit why there is anything of a debate!
outzider
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 08:58 PMHave been watching the development of these stories since the first one on the Holland Park area made the front page. Amazes me how we can be so negative to progression and the opportunity for investment. As for Mr Garvie ~ who is he? What does he benefit from his proposal? It is important that should a plan be approved and executed it is in the best interest for as many Spalding residents as possible and in order to enhance and maintain the current town we have, this has to be for investment to be made IN TOWN and not out of town.
seamstress
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 08:36 PMSurely as a town we cannot afford to waste time and effort on pipedreams. We need new investment and a better town centre now, if the town is not developed at this time it could be 10 years or more before the next opportunity comes around. To develop in the town centre has got to be better than developing on the outskirts of town near Mc Donalds, as the development near Mc Donalds would cause traffic congestion on the bypass.
springs
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 08:35 PMHow can "Developers go to war over plans for town" There is one developer with plans to improve our town centre bringing more jobs and people to the town and a joker who thinks he can dream a scheme of a development taking even more out of the town. Mr Garvie what have you got to back up your pie in the sky ideas, just dreams!!
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