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MAXONIANS for heritage ... Members include Mike Rance, chairman of Macclesfield Town Football Club (far left), fashion designer Michelle Hill (centre front), Ronnie Rees, who owns Ronnie’s Bar (back) and Jeff Coghlan, who runs Matmi New Media Designs (third from right).
Traders: ‘We’ll see council in courts'
1/10/2008
A NEW society dedicated to preserving Macclesfield’s heritage has threatened to take council chiefs to court over the town centre redevelopment.
The Maxonian Society, formed last week, already has more than 50 members who will "fight tooth and nail" to get the best possible deal for small businesses and residents.
Chairman Jeff Coghlan said a priority was to find out how Wilson Bowden Developments came to lead the scheme – and they will take the legal route if necessary.
"Unless we get a reason as to why they were chosen, we will take them to the European Court and they’ll have what happened in Rochdale on their hands again", said Jeff, who runs Matmi New Media Designs in Dukes Court. We are going to fight this tooth and nail."
WBD were last month told to resubmit their bid to redevelop Rochdale town centre following two high court judgements.
These related to bidders not being kept well enough informed about project "briefs" during the bidding process.
"It is our right to know how MBC came to their decision," Jeff said of Macclesfield’s bidding process in 2005. The plans and amount of money invested have completely changed, so why is Wilson Bowden still doing it? We are going to get a cheap imitation of what it could have been."
Fellow member Ronnie Rees, who runs Ronnie’s Bar in Dukes Court, said: "A precedent has just been set by the Rochdale case and we deserve some answers.
"We want to know what the other schemes were and why Macclesfield council decided creating a parallel shopping street to Mill Street is the best thing for the town. Every major brand on Mill Street now will leave for this new street, leaving a complete wasteland from Macclesfield station to Mill Street itself. This society will give us more of a collective of local independent businesses and those with an interest in the culture and heritage of the town. It isn’t all about retail."
Jeff said he planned to take legal advice on again requesting an explanation from the council under the Freedom of Information Act, having been denied once already.
A council spokesman said a cabinet paper outlining the process of approving Wilson Bowden was available online at http://www.agenda.macclesfield.gov.uk/aksmacclesfield/images/att5161.doc.
Most recent 2 of 3 user comments
it really up to the council what to do with there land not up the shop keeps who think it there land.
16/10/2008 at 14:31
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I do not want Macclesfield to be another clone town.
Stockport had a new development with a Debenhams and a Cinema. Did it work?
Is spending £200 million foolishly in the current climate going to help?
20/10/2008 at 12:22