Monday, 3 September 2018

Littlewoods Goes On Fire-It Was Torched.

Just months after it was announced that Chanel 4 would not be locating its news service to Liverpool. The Littlewoods building touted as being a new digital media centre for the film industry in Liverpool is torched.
What an advert for Liverpool.
We have been warning of this for years.
The developers say they were about to create The Dream factory. Only now its a nightmare.
At the time there were angry and nasty comments from councillors towards Chanel 4, including vile comments from the Mayor.
Now Littlewoods goes up in flames. Its a disgrace. This was a fine Art Deco structure that was in good condition that just needed a bit of care with a sympathetic scheme. The whole area was crying out for this to happen.
The Luftwaffe missed it, well they may have got a bit of it.
But now its been torched. Police have confirmed it.
Now its in a worse condition than if Goering had of got it.
Questions need to be asked as to why there is a frequent event of buildings going up in flames in Liverpool......just as they are about to be redeveloped.
Wolthamstone square is a recent one that springs to mind.
Part of that caught light by combustion, on its own, allegedly without any help.
Oh yes tell us another one. Just like the other one.
Owned by one of Joe Anderson's mates Eliot, it allegedly caught fire in the middle of the night. Its now set to become, guess what, Student Flats.
We have worked long and hard to bring this structure The Littlewoods Building the old Pools Headquarters to the attention of the public, not just locally but nationally. And now the whole country knows about it. For all the wrong reasons.
The owner or a representative from Capital and Centric was on BBC lunchtime news saying the scheme will go ahead.
Only now the job will be easier.
Joe Anderson crying his crocodile tears saying he is heartbroken will now say we need to get it up and running and redeveloped.
And it will now be an easier, and a cheaper job to carry out
And will it have a big ugly carbuncle stuck on the top of it?
Replacing the lack of a torched roof that isn't there anymore?
That's where the cash is, in building upwards just like Lawrence Kenwright another mate of Joe Anderson did, on The Shankly Hotel, in the town centre.
Because that's what Liverpool does, creates eyesores where there was beauty.
They have already developed part of the Littlewoods site called The Bunker.
Yes we all need tin hats on in this area. Its like a war zone now.
Incidentally we wrote about The real Bunker on the Littlewoods Site that had period murals on the walls, a piece of Liverpool history from the blitz a real bunker.
What happened to that? No one seems to care.
The police will need to investigate how a fire started in an empty building and then spread like wildfire of a Sunday when Joe Andersons Fire Brigade cutbacks that he blames the Tories for is at its most acute.
He blamed cutbacks for losing the car park next to the Oldham Echo Arena.
So why was the fire not brought under control more quickly.
The fire brigade say they responded quickly. Well not quick enough.
How many appliances were on the site within 5 minutes?
Six appliances were not enough.
Will there be any evidence?? The fire brigade say it was arson.
One of the by passers says he heard an explosion.
There will be no recriminations by the council they will just accept it and move on like they did when the boathouse in Sefton Park was torched and they built a modern building in its place.
Easier than restoring a new one.
Then we will wait for the next historic building that goes on fire or is accidentally knocked down by a bulldozer.
Couldn't the developers even spent the minimum wage to employ a cocky watchman.
Or did they, and where was he?
How did an arsonist get in the building?

This building should be taken off the current developers.

CPO'd like what happened to the rest of Edge Lane.

No, the council will probably give them a grant.

Only in Liverpool could this happen.

The Shankly Hotel

Saturday, 1 September 2018

Lawrence Kenwrights Carbuncle-The Shankly Hotel.

Only an Evertonian could have done this.

Building Design, the architect weekly has paid Liverpool a lot of attention in recent years.
With good reason.
2009 winner, the Terminal Ferry carbuncle at the Pier Head won the (un)coveted title of the worst bit of construction that year.
One Park Worst by Cesar Peli on Chavasse lawn came third.
The giant squashed ciggy packet and ROME MAXXI lookalike that is, The Museum of Liverpool also at The Pier Head designed by 3XN, who subsequently got sacked, came runner up in 2011. 
To Peel holdings MEDIA City.
The following year Liverpools Architectural tragedy The Three Black coffins on Mann Island,designed by Matt Brook of Broadway Malyan was runner up.

The nomination this year is The Shankly Hotel designed by Coco The Clown.
 It even made Sky News.
We never nominated this year 2018 Nomination The Shankly Hotel Liverpool......we got beat to it.

The beautifully detailed lead roofed, Louis XVth Style end of the block, with its Corinthian pilasters and its beautifully designed sculptures had already been butchered by the council to some extent for Millenium House.
But nothing could have anticipated what landed, on the top of the block.
 The rooftop extension was constructed illegally by Kenwright as boss of Signature Living who seems to believe his own hype. 
He then was made to submit a retrospective planning application after numerous complaints about him flouting the planning laws. 
Mates with Fat Joe it was sure to be passed though. 
The council has sold the building to Signature living to buy Cunard Buildings
Anyone else would have been made to take it down.
Signature Living have threatened BD with legal action for what he called libellous comments.
Some people cant bear to hear the truth, and the truth is that this publicity seeking individual who runs the organisation is out of control, not only in his own mind, he always was a architectural disaster waiting to happen.
If he is not stopped he will help enable the city to be judged by the hen parties who are unfortunate enough to stay at his hotels as a blight on the city and the great heritage that we once had.
Oh hang on most of them are that pissed when they get here they struggle to find his hotel.

This particular block styled as a flat iron to fit on the site was sold to Kenwright by Liverpool City Council, so they have to uphold his attempts at becoming Bob the Builder so they don't look even more stupid than they are.
How many deals are done under the counter these days by the Oligarchs who run the council?
How does Bob the Blunderer get away with providing such boring space and then getting it passed by the pathetic planners.
What is unquestionable is that Liverpool is now a architectural mess. If you don't like it don't read on. The waterfront is an architectural abortion and Liverpool retains its infamous badge of being on The World Heritage 'In Danger' list.
The clowns at the council run by Fat Joe are the least able people to judge architecture. So they should not be passing anything that hits the planning table.
The laughing stock that Liverpool is becoming in architectural circles, among those who can bear to look at the abomination that has happened is staying silent right now. They are scared to open their mouths for fear of being unpatriotic to the great city.
The more of you you that don't wake up to reality and show your mentality the more you will have people like Kenwright writing the articles for the Liverpool Echo and thus pulling the wool over the thick people who read it.

Lets hope The Shankly Hotel Extension wins the Carbuncle Cup award not only as a justified winner but as an example of what is befalling a city that now looks worse than when we had no investment. That is covered in high rise student flat carbuncles.

Only an Evertonian could do this, with the help of the Shankly family we have to add.
We think Bill Shankly will be turning in his grave.