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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Declined: Chapter One Wed Dec 25, 2024 09:00 | M. Zermansky
Introducing Declined: a dystopian satire about the emergence of a social credit system in the U.K. that's going to be published in serial?form?in?the Daily Sceptic. Read episode one here.
The post Declined: Chapter One appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill Wed Dec 25, 2024 07:00 | Charlotte Gill
The Climate and Nature Bill threatens to decimate the UK economy by turbo-charging Net Zero. But where did it come from? Charlotte Gill dives in and finds a glut of Left-wing activists working furiously behind the scenes.
The post The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Dec 25, 2024 00:32 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Starmer Doesn?t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Vete... Tue Dec 24, 2024 19:00 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer "doesn?t have a feel" for the Labour Party or politics in general and his team lacks the skills to run the country, veteran Labour MP?Diane Abbott?has said.
The post Starmer Doesn’t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to ?Avoid Unnecessary Offence? Tue Dec 24, 2024 18:00 | Will Jones
The Church of England has told clergy in Birmingham to watch out for "problematic words" in Christmas carols that imply Jesus is the "true Messiah" or other religions aren't valid. And they wonder why the pews are empty.
The post Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to “Avoid Unnecessary Offence” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Newbridge, Developers, and Broken Promises

category kildare | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis author Wednesday September 26, 2007 23:15author by Gosimeon - Newbridge Concerned Residents Report this post to the editors

White Water Shopping Centre is at the centre of an ongoing drama in Newbridge, County Kildare. The developer's, Ballymore Properties, have reneged on their promise to build a 6-screen cinema as part of the massive White Water Shopping Centre. Instead they have tried for over a year to change the cinema space to retail space. They have tried every trick in the book to do so. Here's an outline.
Banners at a protest
Banners at a protest

April 2006; a great day for Newbridge, County Kildare. Ballymore Propoerties are have just opened their fine new shopping centre in the centre of the town. The huge development took years to complete; causing consistent traffic mayhem and the upheaval of a local park in the process. The development was sold as a "unique mix of retail, living and leisure". The retail component was to comprise of the many stores to be located in the centre. The living element; apartments above the retail units. The "first class" cinema was to be the jewel in the crown.

But hold on. It opened but there was no cinema.

Why?

Well it all goes back to just after the Planning Application for the centre was accepted in 2002. Less than three months after the proposal was accepted, the White Water developers signalled their intent by applying for a change of use from cinema space to office/retail space. The County Council agreed with local PD politician Jane Mullin's group Newbridge Community Development as well as many other objectors, and it rejected the White Waters proposal. Simply; the centre HAD TO have a leisure and evening use as dictated by local sustainable development laws. The White Water was chasing to mullah. The Council wasn't going to stop them making more dosh. Off the went to An Board Pleaneala (ABP). ABP said no, for said reasons.

All then went quiet on the cinema front. It seemed Newbridge had won and this developer wasn't going to be allowed to throw local planning legislation into the bin to make a few more quick bucks.

Then, in 2006, just before the centre opened, another application was sent to Kildare County Council. This application tried to turn the cinema space to, you guessed it, more retail. They also claimed they were going to build a cinema (and, yes, several retail units) on another site, one that is adjoined to an bust road in an industrial area. They didn't even own the site they proposed they would build the cinema on, and most commentators agree they have no intention of ever purchasing or building anything on.

So here they are again. Trying to contravene the local planning legislation and take away the community benefit of this huge development for the sake of adding some more onto their hefty profits.

The application went to further information twice with the local authority twice, and took over a year to process! The White Water were asked over and over to explain why they need to move the cinema. The new site wasn't suitable, the Council claimed. The centre needs night time use, leisure use. The proposals contravene the Local Area Plan; the planning Bible for Newbridge. Eventually KCC refused permission.

White Water failed to answer any of these queries. They have consistently lied in their assertions. Local group "Newbridge Concerned Residents" has lead to opposition to the plans to remove the cinema. One cinema operator Patrick O'Sullivan, head of Storm Cinemas, went as far as saying that the cinema as originally proposed wasn't just viable, but he would love to run it. International Cinema expert Ron Inglis joined in by rubbishing the plans of Ballymore Propoerties.

So, the situation is as follows:

-an international corporation, with Michael Smurfit on the board, has continuously tried to contravene planning laws to make more money.

-6,300 local residents signed a petition urging the developers to stick to their promises.

-Over 1,500 partook in a protest gathering and march.

-The local cinema shut down before the centre opened, as the developers had not announced they had no intention of building the cinema they had being advertising.

-The cinema space lies vacant over a year one, with cinema operators wanting to use it. The developers are holding out for more profit. They have even gone so far as to threaten not to build the cinema if their change-of-use permission is refused by ABP.

ABP are currently considering the proposal. A cinema makes 20 euro per square foot per year
Retail makes 140 euro per square foot per year. However, if this corporation gets it's way and undermines local law, the people gain nothing.

http://www.kildare-nationalist.ie/news/story.asp?j=2530...=news

http://www.kildare.ie/community/notices/community/white...a.asp

-they have been refused twice

Related Link: http://www.newbridgeshopper.com/whitewater/whitewater_cinema.php

Local politician Pat Black holds up his phone to let local station here protestor's chants
Local politician Pat Black holds up his phone to let local station here protestor's chants

Newbridger's vent their frustration
Newbridger's vent their frustration

Crowd is addressed before march
Crowd is addressed before march

Protestors
Protestors

author by activistpublication date Sun Sep 30, 2007 22:16author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The people of Kildare have the power to
make these people listen to their objections.
If they don't get the cinema then they boycott
the retail units. See how they react to that.

 
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