Colwyn Bay Waterfront Redevelopment

[BMD]

This seems largely a rehash of Tom's Weekly News piece, but it's interesting to see this particular point made - about Porth Eirias undermining the pier:

Questions mount over future of 'white elephant' watersports centre

'Mr Jones [MP], who said he believes the venue [Porth Eirias] has undermined the future of Colwyn Bay’s nearby Grade II listed Victoria Pier by acting as a competitor attraction, said only changing rooms for people using wetsuits and “external sheds and lock-ups” distinguish it from standard seafront business accommodation.'

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/questions-mount-over-future-white-7597840

[Tom Davidson]

I think the council have wanted rid of the pier for a while and probably intended for Porth Eirias to undermine it. But that's just my opinion.

[SteveH]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, what it needs is for a few thousand of us to march on Bodlondeb, harass our Councillors, get some Petitions going and generally let them know what we want, and more importantly, don't want.
I will support any action, but am now a bit too long in the tooth to organise things.
Do not think that any Councillor will pay any attention to things said on this Forum or the insulting language they receive from some other Forums and Blogs.   Actions speak louder than words!

Yorkie, Could not agree more, the North shore beach uproar, seems to be working, I wonder what it would take to wake the public up to what is going on,..... Tom?   maybe print the cost of everything,  the Skip, VC. and all the other council mishaps, that they are paying for, large banner headlines, your council, has lost................millions of your money.           

[DaveR]

This seems largely a rehash of Tom's Weekly News piece, but it's interesting to see this particular point made - about Porth Eirias undermining the pier:

Questions mount over future of 'white elephant' watersports centre

'Mr Jones [MP], who said he believes the venue [Porth Eirias] has undermined the future of Colwyn Bay’s nearby Grade II listed Victoria Pier by acting as a competitor attraction, said only changing rooms for people using wetsuits and “external sheds and lock-ups” distinguish it from standard seafront business accommodation.'

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/questions-mount-over-future-white-7597840

We took another look round Porth Eirias yesterday and had a nose at the proposed kitchen area. I don't honestly see how the two supporting pillars get in the way so much that they require removal at vast expense?

Naturally, the whole place was empty and unused, apart from a bored looking man sitting at the reception desk.

[Merddin Emrys]

I was wondering, if someone rents a shop in say for example Mostyn Street, does the landlord have to pay for any alterations that the tenant requires? Or would the tenant have to pay or find somewhere more suitable? You can see how this relates to the Skip! 

[Gwynant]

     I've just noticed this on the Daily Post Live blog:-
                   Tom Davidson @WeeklyNewsBay
    Porth Eirias: Cabinet vote to fund work required Porth Eirias, which will cost an additional £33k due to higher than expected tender prices.
5:31 PM - 12 Aug 2014

[Tom Davidson]

Full story guys: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/porth-eirias-conwy-council-back-7603166

£33k yes but no word on improving power supply to kitchen, just talk of "sharing" it.

[SteveH]

Thanks Tom,      Cllr. Roberts states " a lot of public money"......but, we are frustrated because it has'nt opened
                        yet ,.........who's kidding who.    :rage:

[BMD]

It sounds as if CCBC haven't been very forthcoming with information.

There's the £33K mentioned for kitchen-related work, and BBC's Chris Dearden has tweeted that: "On top of kitchen work, £38K needed to upgrade power supply to @BrynPorthEirias restaurant. Conwy council offering to split costs with chef".

But in the response to my FOI, CCBC wrote that the "Currently Available Budget" for future work was:

Outstanding kitchen white box works = £70,000.
Power sub-station = £25,000.

So I wonder if the £33K and £38K, respectively, are in addition to those figures? And what happened to the higher estimates they were floating a week ago (£300K-£400K)?

[Nemesis]

Well I have passed it twice today on a train and from above the words I would use are scruffy and semi derelict. The planting on the slopes is in an appalling state. The 'Gobi Desert' also looks worse from above ! Still full of mounds of sand and diggers.

[DaveR]

BBC's Chris Dearden has tweeted that: "On top of kitchen work, £38K needed to upgrade power supply to @BrynPorthEirias restaurant. Conwy council offering to split costs with chef".

£38,000 to update the power supply?! Unbelievable! How many Microwave Ovens does Bryn need?

[peterh]

If the power supplies are not adequate then questions need to be asked about the original design brief presumably issued by CCBC to the architects and then to the mechanical and electrical consultants. If the design brief included a restaurant type kitchen then the M&E consultantants are negligent if it didn't and specified only a Costa type operation then CCBC are at fault. I suspect when the original design was changed way back from the the elegant design to what we now are left with is the M&E design was either left as it was or reduced to save money.

Between CCBC, the architects and the M&E consultants someone is negligent and need to be made accountable. I believe what we have been told is the minimum they believe they could get away with and that the overall costs will be way in excess of those declared.

 

[Michael]

   I don't suppose it has anything to do with the power supply, too much of a coincidence but   ------

   SOME TIME EITHER YESTERDAY OR TODAY A CHANNEL HAS BEEN DUG ACROSS THE ROAD FROM PORTH EIRIAS TOWARDS THE RAILWAY LINE.

   So some sort of cable or pipe has been put in place a long time after I thought the whole job was finished.

[Ian]

the overall costs will be way in excess of those declared.

I would find it extremely surprising if they weren't significantly higher. It's what local government seems to excel at.

[BMD]

"Leader of @ConwyCBC admits on ITV Wales News that they'll be spending another £164K of taxpayers' money on @PorthEirias." (David Jones MP on Twitter). David Jones asks if that includes the upgrading of the power system.

£164K sounds close to the sum of the figures I mentioned earlier (£166K) - difference possibly due to approximations/rounding differences:
£70K & £25K - already budgeted for outstanding kitchen & sub-station work (mentioned in FOI).
Plus the new, additional £33K & £38K figures (kitchen & power respectively)
Total:  £166K

Then again, the real figures are anyone's guess while CCBC is in damage-limitation & denial mode.