DINGLE RESIDENTS SAY NO!
PLANS to build a 20-storey Yuppie tower block in Dingle could devastate
the area. The multi-million pound development by Yuppie flat builders
David McLean includes 160 one and two-bedroom apartments. All, they proudly
announce "will have a balcony".
The Dingle, which is already one of the most run down areas, with some
of the worst housing in Liverpool - could have its views of the waterfront,
the Wirral and the Welsh hills blocked by the Yuppie flats.
Cllr Steve Munby said: "I have never seen so many resident groups opposing
a local planning application'. It seems there is no end to the disrespect
and insults these money grabbers give to the people of Liverpool. McLean,
the man behind Liverpool's first £1 million penthouses, has already established
'Greens Health and Fitness Centre' on the Herculaneum, site which economically
excludes the local community. And his second phase would be the building
of some 400 new homes, as well as a huge car park to house all the Jags
and Porches. A council meeting was forced to postpone the decision on
the flats, due to community pressure. But the local community must not
be duped - this tactic is often used, to tire out the opposition.
IS HOUSING DISREPAIR DELIBERATE?
LIVERPOOL City Council has a £450m housing repair backlog, the Liverpool
Echo reported.
Cllr Richard Kemp, executive member for housing and neighbourhood services,
said "The only way forward is to transfer homes out of council ownership
and into the hands of housing associations."
Surprise surprise. Anyone growing up in areas like the Bullring knew that
many of the housing repairs were not carried out by previous councils
deliberately because they wanted to make conditons so bad for tenants
that they would either move out, or the area could be sold off to private
developers, or in this case maybe they want to force council tenants to
agree to go over to Housing associations.
MISCARRIAGES & INJUSTICE
If you attended the showing of the film ‘Injustice’, about deaths in Police
custody, at the ‘Jump Ship Rat’, organised by Jimmy Ashley’s family and
yours truly PNP, despite the cops trying to stop it, then you would have
had the honour of hearing Jimmy’s sister Pauline speaking, but relatives
of Harry Stanley and Christopher Alder (see below) and also Paddy Hill
(Birmingham Six). Their bravery can only be applauded. Meanwhile in the
Jimmy Ashley case, the Home Office has launched two new investigations
into the death of the Liverpool man, killed by the Sussex police in 1998.
The earlier trial of four officers collapsed, but now ‘alledgedly’ the
actions of the Police Complaints Commission will be scrutinized as well
as the killing itself. Watch this space.
There has also been some changes in the Chrispoher Alder’s case (the ‘custody
suite’ camera captured the police beating him up and torturing him, then
laughing as he was dying). The five officers initially only charged with
misconduct will now face manslaughter charges.
Sadly though, the Crown Prosecution Service announced, for the second
time in just over 12 months, that neither of the two Metropolitan Police
officers who shot dead unarmed man Harry Stanley in Hackney on 22 September
1999 are to face criminal charges over his death. Meanwhile the investigation
into the case of Andrew Kernan, the Wavertree man shot dead, by armed
police, is drawing to a close. Although the two mental health proffessionals
who according to Mrs Kernan, ‘failed Andrew’ have been cleared of doing
anything wrong, by a dubious investigation, which didn’t even interview
the cops involved. And with Greater Manchester Police investigating Merseyside
Police, it seems likely that the trigger happy cops will also get off
scot free. But you never know. Mrs Marie Kernan has vowed to fight for
justice.
Check out: www.peoplestribunal.com
