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Sainsbury's pay £1m for Westhoughton land covenant
12:10pm Monday 5th May 2008
SUPERMARKET chiefs have paid £1 million to Bolton Council so a covenant placed on land earmarked for a controversial new store can be lifted.
Sainsbury's plan to build a £7.5 million store on the site of Westhoughton Cricket Club in Cricketers Way.
In January, Bolton Council gave permission for the company to build on the site after its planning committee voted 14-7 in favour of the 25,000 sq ft supermarket.
The committee also gave permission for a new cricket club to be built on land at The Hoskers, Daisy Hill.
It must be up and running before work starts on the new store.
Sainsbury's chiefs hit a stumbling block, however, when it emerged the land on which they had permission to build the store was protected by a covenant which said it must be used only for recreational purposes.
That meant they had to negotiate a sum for it to be lifted with Bolton Council.
An agreement has now been reached which will see the company pay £1 million to the town hall and the covenant shifted to the new site of the cricket club.
The £1 million will go into the council's "capital receipts pot" and be invested in projects across the borough.
A council spokesman said: "This is a positive development for Westhoughton. It means there will be additional resources to spend on capital projects within the borough. There will be significant improvements for the cricket club and the junior rugby league club which will benefit from improved facilities."
"It was also agreed that a covenant will be placed on the new club, to protect it from future development."
A spokesman for the supermarket said: "Sainsbury's remains committed to investing in Westhoughton and believes that the new food store will bring many benefits to the area. A new store will help entice shoppers back into Westhoughton and will provide a boost for the town's economy, encouraging other businesses to relocate to the area."
Sainsbury's announced in March that it was hoping to start work on the site in April next year and for it to be open in autumn, 2009.
However, last month great crested newts were found on the land which may delay building work, as they are a protected speciies.
Your Say Yourtheboltonnews
Catherine, Farnworth says...
12:55pm Mon 5 May 08
steve, bolton says...
12:59pm Mon 5 May 08
John, says...
1:09pm Mon 5 May 08
Badger, Bolton says...
1:13pm Mon 5 May 08
"It was also agreed that a covenant will be placed on the new club, to protect it from future development."
Given the context of the story even someone as self obsessed as a councillor should be able to see how pathetic this statement sounds!
Another covenant sold out by Bolton Council, doubtless by men with fat brown envelopes in their back pocket, courtesy of Sainsbury.
letshavitreet, westhoughton says...
4:02pm Mon 5 May 08
RagReader, Horwich says...
4:04pm Mon 5 May 08
Making unsubstantiated and possibly libellous comments is the way to do it.
tax payer, Bolton says...
4:09pm Mon 5 May 08
RagReader wrote:just saying u r boring
Tax Payer - Do you want the comments closed again? Making unsubstantiated and possibly libellous comments is the way to do it.
cow-head, westhoughton says...
4:48pm Mon 5 May 08
Ed Stirling, Westhoughton says...
5:22pm Mon 5 May 08
Every single penny of that money should be spend in Westhoughton. The covenant predates Westhoughton falling into Bolton's clutches - morally this is our money.
It's getting a bit much now, developers come in, flash the cash, promise sweeteners (section 106 money), and where does all the money go? (Clue: answer in the 1st paragraph.)
I have little faith in Bolton Council's ability to spend such money wisely, productively and fairly.
Just who is standing up for the town?
Westhoughton's six Borough councillors must put aside their differences and ensure that it is Westhoughton that benefits from the money.
And there are plenty of things to spend the money on to improve facilities here in Westhoughton.
Do you need a list?
slim billy, howfern says...
5:43pm Mon 5 May 08
jimbobob, halliwell says...
6:46pm Mon 5 May 08
RagReader, Horwich says...
7:26pm Mon 5 May 08
One of the main culprits will probably find this boring.
BWFC - TIL - I - DIE, BOLTON says...
7:28pm Mon 5 May 08
Every single penny of that money should be spend in Westhoughton
minus their personal commission!!
RagReader, Horwich says...
7:30pm Mon 5 May 08
slim billy wrote:Indeed, when are Westhoughton councillours going to comment?
well said ed !!!
tom3465, Farnworth says...
8:28pm Mon 5 May 08
notlob, bolton says...
10:27pm Mon 5 May 08
Thousands of new houses have been built in Westhoughton with no improvements to roads, railways, doctors, and youth facilities. A million pounds is not much to put some of these things right but it would be a good start to perhaps build a youth centre run by the Lads & Girls Club.
Spend it in Westhoughton.
tosh, says...
7:34am Tue 6 May 08
Bolton Council you are a disgrace.
Soup, Bolton says...
7:41am Tue 6 May 08
Soup, Bolton says...
7:42am Tue 6 May 08
Cllr Jim Gilfillan, Westhoughton says...
7:56am Tue 6 May 08
BoltonDave, Tonge Moor says...
8:04am Tue 6 May 08
Ed Stirling, Westhoughton says...
9:10am Tue 6 May 08
the full £1 million should be spent on the new cricket and sports club
Tom, from what I'm aware, there are three parts to this deal: 1. Sainsbury's buy the Tyldesleys site, this should fund the new Cricket Club and preparation of the Hoskers site. 2. The Hoskers (Council owned land) is formally released/sold to the Cricket Club (or possibly Sainsbury's depending on the deal) 3. The covenant on the Tyldesleys is released (the £1m).
As you will see there is lots of money sloshing around in this deal regarding these Westhoughton 'assets'. More than the £1m headline figure, i.e., Bolton
Council will receive money for 2 & 3 - £1m (covenant) plus the Hoskers land release.
It will probably take a Freedom of Information request to find out the detail, unless Bolton Council come clean.
If Westhoughton does not see significant benefit out of this money; spent on schemes that improve the lives of people here in Westhoughton, and allow for future action to counter any 'negative' affects of both schemes, then I'm sure I would not be alone in being very unhappy about it.
What we actually need is the setting up of Westhoughton's very own council's capital receipts pot.
People who are concerned about this have to badger their local councillors.
Every penny of those deals should be spent in Westhoughton.
BTW Tosh, I believe these was a covenant on part of the land at Greenfields which was released (ch-gink) allowing its 'redevelopment' for 'much needed?' flats.
Bob Smith, Astey Bridge says...
10:33am Tue 6 May 08
Lets just go back in time and remember what happened here. The original sainsburys application was opposed by the Labour controlled Westhoughton Council. When it came to Bolton Planning Committee it was opposed by Labour, but backed by the Libs and Tories. David Wilkinson was very keen on it, and he won, it was passed. Labour in Westhoughton (like Jim Gilfilan above) continued to have a go at Wilkinson in the election leaflets about this issue. What happened? Wilkinson got re-elected. A vindication for him and for the plently of people in Westhoughton who wanted it.
So what does the Labour controlled Bolton Council do? Does it sulk and have nothing to do with it? No, it milks Sainsburys for all it can get, and getting them to hand over £1 million for a supermarket it never wanted in the first place is not a bad thing at all.
So - everybody happy it would seem. Perhaps apart from Westhoughton Labour Council who no doubt are still peeved off because they couldnt get their own way.
Ed Stirling, Westhoughton says...
12:26pm Tue 6 May 08
Here in Westhoughton, there was much controversy, arguments for and against - but significant local opposition to the scheme. Contrary to what you assert, not sure I saw any Labour election leaflets referring to Sainsburys: pointless anyway, since the deed is done its happening.
Given Labours current 'terminal' decline in popularity, it was unlikely that Wilkinson would be unseated. He was voted for by just 12% of the electorate (1128 votes), hardly a resounding mandate. Furthermore, the Lib Dems lost the Westhoughton North seat.
Have the Council got a good deal for Westhoughton: maybe, though I suspect we have been sold short Will Westhoughton see the money from this deal? Not without kicking up a fuss
The political posturing of this is irrelevant. Bolton Council have obtained over £1m from releasing Westhoughton assets, local politicians of all parties must make sure that this money stays within and is used on Westhoughton projects anything less would be a betrayal of its people.
Will Sainsbury's recoup their £1m - you bet.
Westhoughton currently has 3 Conservative councillors, 2 Lib Dems and 1 Labour.
Cllr Jim Gilfillan, Westhoughton says...
1:56pm Tue 6 May 08
Bob Smith wrote:Yes Bob you could say that it was a victory, and that the it is a good thing having the supermarket. Yes I did vote against it, not on principle, I think another supermarket in Westhoughton is a good thing, I voted against it because of the many faults the planning application had within it.
This is surely a victory for David Wilkinson and the Lib Dems.
Lets just go back in time and remember what happened here. The original sainsburys application was opposed by the Labour controlled Westhoughton Council. When it came to Bolton Planning Committee it was opposed by Labour, but backed by the Libs and Tories. David Wilkinson was very keen on it, and he won, it was passed. Labour in Westhoughton (like Jim Gilfilan above) continued to have a go at Wilkinson in the election leaflets about this issue. What happened? Wilkinson got re-elected. A vindication for him and for the plently of people in Westhoughton who wanted it.
So what does the Labour controlled Bolton Council do? Does it sulk and have nothing to do with it? No, it milks Sainsburys for all it can get, and getting them to hand over £1 million for a supermarket it never wanted in the first place is not a bad thing at all.
So - everybody happy it would seem. Perhaps apart from Westhoughton Labour Council who no doubt are still peeved off because they couldnt get their own way.
My point above was that this money should be spent in Westhoughton not disappear into the black hole of Bolton MBCs capital pot.
Your sayYourtheboltonnews
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dave a, Little Lever says...
12:49pm Mon 5 May 08