Hi Everyone,

the group has gone a bit quiet over the summer but the council and
their consultants have been working away.

It looks as though the Council is again seriously considering
knocking down the building based on inflated estimates for phased
refurbishment. They have offered no plans on how they intend to
finance the project – implying that the £10+M cost is far too
high to
be even considered.

I'm concerned they will be able to dismiss the outcome of the
public
consultation claiming costs are too high and demolish the building
anyway. The 3 points I want to make are :-

1. Why is the council still spending money evaluating the `New
Build'
option?
2. How can we challenge the credibility of the refurbishment
estimates?
3. Where are the plans to finance York Hall's phased
refurbishment?

I will send out separate emails on these.

From the note I have seen between property consultants and the
council the `Knock it Down Now' option has been revived and
will mean
no sports facilities at York Hall for a period of not less than 18
months and after that a smaller sports facility. It's being
driven,
amongst other factors, by the council's need to meet
accommodation
targets.

I will try to get this letter published on the group in the files
section.

We must rekindle our old enthusiasm for York Hall and keep the fight
moving forward to stop demolition and get something the people of
Tower Hamlets really care about.

Best Regards,


Mark Mitchell