Transport ConferenceL I V E R P O O L

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Keeping the regionmovingG

ETTING better allthe time. This wasthe messagecoming across atthe annual

Merseyside Transportconference, held last week atLiverpool Town Hall.

So what is the MerseysideTransport Partnership, whichorganised the conference, allabout?

It is a partnership betweenthe five Merseyside localauthorities and Merseytravel,who have joined forces toproduce long-term plans aimedat investing in and improvingthe region’s transportinfrastructure and services.

Each year, the Partnershipreports back to the public withan update on its progress, andthis year was more significantthan ever, as the organisationnears the half-way point of itscurrent plan.

What is the MerseysideLocal Transport Plan’svision?

Its aim is to achieve a fullyintegrated, safe transportnetwork for Merseyside which

supports economic and socialregeneration with good accessfor all, and which is operatedto the highest standards toprotect the environment andensure quality of life.

What progress has beenmade so far to achieve this?

Overall, there have been realimprovements in people’stravel experience, and this issomething which washighlighted by Neil Scales,chair of Merseyside TransportPartnership, at the conference.

He said: “Our progressreport has highlighted that wehave had a large measure ofsuccess, and that success hasbeen recognised byGovernment in our Beaconstatus and in significant extrafunding for the area.

“We have excellentprogrammes in place rightacross the transport spectrum– from encouraging schoolchildren to walk to school andmaking sure that everyone ontwo wheels is catered for, tomajor improvements in ourcapacity to move freight.”

The region’s Bikeabilityscheme – now the largest in

the country – has trained24,000 young people to ride abike safely, and the number ofroad traffic accidents has beenconsiderably reduced,particularly among youngpeople.

TravelWise – which helpspeople make smarter travelchoices – has seen great resultsin campaigns for moreefficient ways to travel to workand school.

Eighty companies arecurrently signed up to theTravelWise scheme, with160,000 employees involved.

Plans to improve bus travelcontinue apace, withpunctuality continuing andeasier access onto buses beingachieved. Increased investmentin new buses means that theregion’s bus fleet is continuallyimproving.

And it’s good news on therail front, too.

An extra 3m passengers nowuse Merseyrail, which is one ofthe best-performing networksin the country – and that’sofficial, according to theGovernment. Enhanced CityLine capacity, improvements at

specific stations and securestation status at 95% ofstations, have all beenachieved.

These have all helped toreduce delays on the mainfreight routes in Merseysideand slow the increase in trafficgrowth.

Keeping traffic flowingfreely will be key to helpingbusinesses maintain acompetitive advantage in theregion.

Road safety has seen realprogress as well, with thebiggest reduction in pedestriancasualties in disadvantagedareas. Traffic calming hasimproved safety and thequality of public spaces onhousing estates.

But there is still much workto be done. With the city’songoing regeneration comes awhole new set of transportchallenges, and the MerseysideLTP will be the catalyst forways to resolve these issues, asthe city moves forward.

Speakers at the conferencedemonstrated that transportplanning is criticallyimportant to the future

prosperity of the region.Joanne Jennings, chiefexecutive of Liverpool One,said that consideration of allforms of transport was anintegral part of the planning ofthe development.

She said: “Public transportis extremely important,especially now that Liverpoolis the fifth-largest shoppingdestination in the country. Weneed people to be able to accessthe city as easily as possible,by all forms of transport.”

And, looking to the future,beyond Liverpool’s year asCapital of Culture, PhilRedmond, deputy chair andcreative director of LiverpoolCulture Company, spoke of thechallenges ahead.

He said: “This year, all thefantastic events that have beenarranged have created footfallin Merseyside. We have createdopportunities for people tomove around the region, toappreciate our culture andenjoy cultural events, to spendmoney and establish a culturaleconomy. Transport needs toencourage all that movement.”

Survey results

Speakers at the Merseyside Transport Conference are, left to right: Joanne Jennings (Liverpool One), John Whitelegg (Liverpool JohnMoores University), Phil Redmond (Liverpool Culture Co), Neil Scales (Merseyside Transport Partnership), Jessica Bowles (Dept forTransport), Cllr Jean Quinn (Merseyside Strategic Transportation and Planning Committee), and Michael Parkinson (Liverpool JohnMoores University)

DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008 32 DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Merseyside Transport Partnership Merseyside Transport Partnership

Award-winners are recognised for going that one step furtherT

HE second annualMerseysideTransport Awardsproved a greatopportunity to

celebrate the innovative workunder way across the region tocreate a sustainable transportfuture.A highlight of the 2008

Merseyside TransportConference, the awards werepresented by Phil Redmond,deputy chair of the LiverpoolCulture Company, and thequality of this year’snominations – fromindividuals, schools andorganisations – wasoutstanding.The winners were chosen

because they are consistentlygoing that “one step further”in helping create and maintaina more accessible, affordable,convenient, dependable andenvironmentally-friendlytransport network for the cityregion.Cllr Jean Quinn, chair of the

Merseyside StrategicTransportation and PlanningCommittee, said: “All theentrants deservecongratulations, as everytransport initiative andscheme plays an importantrole in helping Merseyside tosuccessfully deliver atransport plan of exceptionalquality for the people andbusinesses of the region.”

TravelWise Award 2008 – forthe best sustainable transportinitiative.This award recognises the

initiative that leads the way inpromoting a sustainabletransport system inMerseyside by effectivelyaccommodating people’s travelneeds and supporting theeconomy, while simultaneouslybenefiting the environment byhelping reduce congestion andcarbon emissions.

Winner: Liverpool PrimaryCare Trust (PCT) Health-care NetworkLiverpool PCT’s scheme will

improve access to crucialhealthcare services byincorporating accessibilityinto the assessment for newhealthcare locations andsecuring a 15-minute walktime to these services.The PCT’s Accessibility

Audit’s findings have beenincorporated into thedevelopment of a new healthservice plan for the city, whichpromotes fair access tohealthcare services foreveryone.TravelWise School Award2008 – for the best schooltravel plan.Initiatives in this category

help to encourage and supportthe use of alternative methodsof transport that positivelyimpact on localisedcongestion, assist in roadsafety and also help tacklehealth and obesity problems.Best Overall School TravelPlan: St Christopher’sPrimary School, Speke.Staff, parents and pupils at

St Christopher’s arecommitted to the school’sTravel Plan, with anincreasing number of children

walking to and from school –the reduction in traffic aroundthe school has created a muchsafer school community.Best High School TravelPlan: St Margaret’s CofEHigh School, Aigburth Road,LiverpoolSt Margaret’s aims to

increase cycling to school to10% by 2011, and decrease thenumber of pupils travelling toschool by single occupancy car.The school has provided

cycle storage and road safetycycle training, and includesenvironment awareness andhealthy living topics in its

curriculum.Best Primary School TravelPlan: West Kirby PrimarySchool.

The school has successfullydeveloped and maintained twowalking buses, and launched athird. West Kirby PrimarySchool now has the first fully-trained mobile walking busschool crossing patrolvolunteers in the country.

The school’s travel plan hasplayed an important part inthe school recently gainingHealthy School status and aGreen Flag from the EcoSchools Scheme.

TravelWise Organisation2008 – for best travel plan.This award recognises the

initiative that helps promotereal alternatives to people whowould normally drive, bydeveloping public transport asthe smart, convenient and eco-conscious way to travel.Winner: University ofLiverpool.One of the region’s biggest

employers, LiverpoolUniversity has taken acomprehensive approach totravel planning and reducedcar use by 7% last year.

This has been made possiblewith the introduction of theuniversity’s travel plan and carpark charging scheme.The university has also

implemented tax-free cycleloan schemes for staffmembers, provided improved,secure cycle storage and ashared-use pedestrian andcycle route.Keen to work collectively, the

university has invited anumber neighbouringinstitutions to establish aTransport Partnership – thefirst meeting is due to takeplace this month.

Outstanding Achievement:National Wildflower Centre,Knowsley.The National Wildflower

Centre has increasedsustainable travel by visitorsthrough an informationcampaign and innovativeschemes to enable access toevents for those who do nothave cars.The approach has increased

visitor numbers withoutincreasing the number of carsused to get there.The centre has also offered

travel bursaries to schools and

community groups toencourage them to use publictransport or coach hire whenvisiting.

Freightwise Award 2008 – forthe best freight initiative.

This award recognisesachievements in improving theimpact of moving goods inMerseyside.Winner: Mersey WasteHoldings Ltd (MWH).

Drivers are the biggestsingle influence on a vehicle’sfuel efficiency, and, in a bid toreduce its transport fleet’s fuelconsumption and associated

CO² emissions, MWH hasintroduced a highly successfulfuel efficient driving initiative– which has resulted inmassive reductions in fuel use,cut carbon emissions andhelped reduce the impact ofwaste collection servicesacross Merseyside.

BikeWise Award 2008 – forbest cycling initiative orachievement.This award is for the

initiative that makes cycling amore appealing option –whether by providing access tobikes, offering safe cycling

training programmes, openingor improving cycle routes, orproviding more cycle parkingspaces.Winner: Merseyside Fireand Rescue Service.Merseyside Fire and Rescue

Service has introduced anumber of initiatives toincrease cycle ownership anduse among its workforce andthe wider community.The Service’s Travel Plan

has encouraged a “bike pool”at its headquarters, and acycling team regularlyorganises group bike rides.More than 150 staff – around

10% of the workforce – joinedthe Cycle2Work scheme, andBike2Work Week offered prizesfor participants.

Competitive and charityfund-raising cycling eventswere organised as part of thecity’s Capital of Culture WorldFirefighter Games.

WalkWise Award 2008 – forthe best walking initiative orachievement.

This award recognises theinitiatives that promote betteropportunities for people towalk – including providing asafer environment, more

attractive and cleanerfootpaths, easier to accessrights of way, more traffic-freezones, etc.Winner: Dawpool CofEPrimary School, Wirral.As a result of severe

congestion problems in thearea, the school worked hardto create a detailed travel plan.Two junior road safety officershave been very busy raisingthe profile of safer routes toschool, and helped reducesafety problems caused byparents parking illegally onthe zigzag lines by more than90%.

The school’s first walkingbus reduced the number ofcars in the immediate vicinity,greatly decreasing congestionand also contributing to theschool’s Healthy School status.

Going the Extra Mile Award2008 – for outstandingcustomer service by anoperator.It is the day-to-day duty of an

operator to provide the bestservice possible, but theorganisation was keen toreward those bodies that went“beyond the call of duty”.Winner: Merseyrail.Merseyrail has consistently

improved punctuality andcustomer satisfaction,delivered support for bigevents, addressed maintenanceissues, increased capacity andimproved service standardsduring 2008.Services were strengthened

to cope with extra demandduring a number of highprofile special events such asthe Grand National racingfestival, the Open GolfChampionship and the TallShips visit to Liverpool.Merseyrail also has the

highest percentage of securestations of any UK trainoperator.Highly Commended: FormbyTaxis and Key Travel.Formby Taxis and Key

Travel are committed toimproving driver training.They provide transport for

vulnerable adults and childrenon behalf of Sefton Council’ssocial services department,and all drivers are trained toNVQ Level 2 in driving roadpassenger service vehicles.They are proud of their

drivers’ excellentcommunication, customerservice and pastoral careskills.

TravelWise Development2008 – for good transportdesign in a new building/scheme.This award recognises the

scheme that supportsregeneration and strengthensthe public transport infra-structure by helping people toreach their destination easily,while making a range oftransport options available tothem.Winner: Iliad DevelopmentsGroup.Property developer the Iliad

Group has integrated asustainable Transport Planinto the design and delivery ofthree separate apartmentdevelopments in the citycentre – to reduce unnec-essary car use and encouragethe use of public transport,cycling and walking.The Jugglers Yard, Elysian

Fields and Levers Courtdevelopments have beendesigned with designated cycleparking, extra wide lifts toallow cycles to be taken intothe apartments, and enhancedlighting and smoothpavements to enhance cycleuse – and handover packsgiven to all residents includewalking and cycle maps ofLiverpool, local bus timetables,cycle discount vouchers andfree travel on bus servicesaround the city.

West Kirby Primary School’s walking bus volunteers, Ki Home, LynSaunders and John Hutchinson with pupils Oscar Home, 8, Mia Home,9, Margaret Saunders, 10, and Josephine Saunders, 7, with PhilRedmond and their award for the Best Primary School Travel Plan. MrRedmond presented all the awards and is pictured with other recipientson this page

Graham Pollard, travel plan officer, left, and ArthurGarnett, support officer, TravelWise Organisation 2008winners, University of Liverpool

Ian Stenton, environmental adviser, left, Cllr SteveNiblock, Mike Hall, energy and environmentalco-ordinator, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, withtheir BikeWise Award 2008 for best cycling initiative orachievement

Deputy head teacher Andrea Lucas, with pupils Neil Brunskill, 13,John Van-Eker, 14, and Callum Douglas, 13, of St Margaret’s C of E HighSchool, Aigburth Road, Liverpool, with their award for the Best HighSchool Travel Plan

Outstanding achievement in the category of best travel plan 2008was awarded to Christine Cartwright, deputy manager, left, andAlison Storer, marketing officer, of the National Wildflower Centre,Knowsley

John Prescott, head of planning,Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT)Healthcare Network, acceptedtheTravelWise Award 2008 for thebest sustainable transport initiative

Gill Pritchard, deputy head, DawpoolC of E Primary School, Wirral,received the WalkWise Award 2008for the best walking initiative orachievement

The Freightwise Award 2008, for thebest freight initiative, was presentedto Eric Knowles, of Mersey WasteHoldings Ltd

The Going the Extra Mile Award2008, for outstanding customerservice by an operator, was awardedto Bart Schmeink, Merseyrail

Bill Addy, development director, IliadDevelopments Group, winner ofTravelWise Development 2008, forgood transport design in a newbuilding/ scheme

TravelWise School Award 2008 forthe best overall school travel plan,was presented to Vincent Hall,learning mentor, St Christopher’sPrimary School, Speke

Chris Hodgkinson, director ofFormby Village Radio Cars, whowere highly commended

DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008 32 DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Merseyside Transport Partnership Merseyside Transport Partnership

Award-winners are recognised for going that one step furtherT

HE second annualMerseysideTransport Awardsproved a greatopportunity to

celebrate the innovative workunder way across the region tocreate a sustainable transportfuture.A highlight of the 2008

Merseyside TransportConference, the awards werepresented by Phil Redmond,deputy chair of the LiverpoolCulture Company, and thequality of this year’snominations – fromindividuals, schools andorganisations – wasoutstanding.The winners were chosen

because they are consistentlygoing that “one step further”in helping create and maintaina more accessible, affordable,convenient, dependable andenvironmentally-friendlytransport network for the cityregion.Cllr Jean Quinn, chair of the

Merseyside StrategicTransportation and PlanningCommittee, said: “All theentrants deservecongratulations, as everytransport initiative andscheme plays an importantrole in helping Merseyside tosuccessfully deliver atransport plan of exceptionalquality for the people andbusinesses of the region.”

TravelWise Award 2008 – forthe best sustainable transportinitiative.This award recognises the

initiative that leads the way inpromoting a sustainabletransport system inMerseyside by effectivelyaccommodating people’s travelneeds and supporting theeconomy, while simultaneouslybenefiting the environment byhelping reduce congestion andcarbon emissions.

Winner: Liverpool PrimaryCare Trust (PCT) Health-care NetworkLiverpool PCT’s scheme will

improve access to crucialhealthcare services byincorporating accessibilityinto the assessment for newhealthcare locations andsecuring a 15-minute walktime to these services.The PCT’s Accessibility

Audit’s findings have beenincorporated into thedevelopment of a new healthservice plan for the city, whichpromotes fair access tohealthcare services foreveryone.TravelWise School Award2008 – for the best schooltravel plan.Initiatives in this category

help to encourage and supportthe use of alternative methodsof transport that positivelyimpact on localisedcongestion, assist in roadsafety and also help tacklehealth and obesity problems.Best Overall School TravelPlan: St Christopher’sPrimary School, Speke.Staff, parents and pupils at

St Christopher’s arecommitted to the school’sTravel Plan, with anincreasing number of children

walking to and from school –the reduction in traffic aroundthe school has created a muchsafer school community.Best High School TravelPlan: St Margaret’s CofEHigh School, Aigburth Road,LiverpoolSt Margaret’s aims to

increase cycling to school to10% by 2011, and decrease thenumber of pupils travelling toschool by single occupancy car.The school has provided

cycle storage and road safetycycle training, and includesenvironment awareness andhealthy living topics in its

curriculum.Best Primary School TravelPlan: West Kirby PrimarySchool.

The school has successfullydeveloped and maintained twowalking buses, and launched athird. West Kirby PrimarySchool now has the first fully-trained mobile walking busschool crossing patrolvolunteers in the country.

The school’s travel plan hasplayed an important part inthe school recently gainingHealthy School status and aGreen Flag from the EcoSchools Scheme.

TravelWise Organisation2008 – for best travel plan.This award recognises the

initiative that helps promotereal alternatives to people whowould normally drive, bydeveloping public transport asthe smart, convenient and eco-conscious way to travel.Winner: University ofLiverpool.One of the region’s biggest

employers, LiverpoolUniversity has taken acomprehensive approach totravel planning and reducedcar use by 7% last year.

This has been made possiblewith the introduction of theuniversity’s travel plan and carpark charging scheme.The university has also

implemented tax-free cycleloan schemes for staffmembers, provided improved,secure cycle storage and ashared-use pedestrian andcycle route.Keen to work collectively, the

university has invited anumber neighbouringinstitutions to establish aTransport Partnership – thefirst meeting is due to takeplace this month.

Outstanding Achievement:National Wildflower Centre,Knowsley.The National Wildflower

Centre has increasedsustainable travel by visitorsthrough an informationcampaign and innovativeschemes to enable access toevents for those who do nothave cars.The approach has increased

visitor numbers withoutincreasing the number of carsused to get there.The centre has also offered

travel bursaries to schools and

community groups toencourage them to use publictransport or coach hire whenvisiting.

Freightwise Award 2008 – forthe best freight initiative.

This award recognisesachievements in improving theimpact of moving goods inMerseyside.Winner: Mersey WasteHoldings Ltd (MWH).

Drivers are the biggestsingle influence on a vehicle’sfuel efficiency, and, in a bid toreduce its transport fleet’s fuelconsumption and associated

CO² emissions, MWH hasintroduced a highly successfulfuel efficient driving initiative– which has resulted inmassive reductions in fuel use,cut carbon emissions andhelped reduce the impact ofwaste collection servicesacross Merseyside.

BikeWise Award 2008 – forbest cycling initiative orachievement.This award is for the

initiative that makes cycling amore appealing option –whether by providing access tobikes, offering safe cycling

training programmes, openingor improving cycle routes, orproviding more cycle parkingspaces.Winner: Merseyside Fireand Rescue Service.Merseyside Fire and Rescue

Service has introduced anumber of initiatives toincrease cycle ownership anduse among its workforce andthe wider community.The Service’s Travel Plan

has encouraged a “bike pool”at its headquarters, and acycling team regularlyorganises group bike rides.More than 150 staff – around

10% of the workforce – joinedthe Cycle2Work scheme, andBike2Work Week offered prizesfor participants.

Competitive and charityfund-raising cycling eventswere organised as part of thecity’s Capital of Culture WorldFirefighter Games.

WalkWise Award 2008 – forthe best walking initiative orachievement.

This award recognises theinitiatives that promote betteropportunities for people towalk – including providing asafer environment, more

attractive and cleanerfootpaths, easier to accessrights of way, more traffic-freezones, etc.Winner: Dawpool CofEPrimary School, Wirral.As a result of severe

congestion problems in thearea, the school worked hardto create a detailed travel plan.Two junior road safety officershave been very busy raisingthe profile of safer routes toschool, and helped reducesafety problems caused byparents parking illegally onthe zigzag lines by more than90%.

The school’s first walkingbus reduced the number ofcars in the immediate vicinity,greatly decreasing congestionand also contributing to theschool’s Healthy School status.

Going the Extra Mile Award2008 – for outstandingcustomer service by anoperator.It is the day-to-day duty of an

operator to provide the bestservice possible, but theorganisation was keen toreward those bodies that went“beyond the call of duty”.Winner: Merseyrail.Merseyrail has consistently

improved punctuality andcustomer satisfaction,delivered support for bigevents, addressed maintenanceissues, increased capacity andimproved service standardsduring 2008.Services were strengthened

to cope with extra demandduring a number of highprofile special events such asthe Grand National racingfestival, the Open GolfChampionship and the TallShips visit to Liverpool.Merseyrail also has the

highest percentage of securestations of any UK trainoperator.Highly Commended: FormbyTaxis and Key Travel.Formby Taxis and Key

Travel are committed toimproving driver training.They provide transport for

vulnerable adults and childrenon behalf of Sefton Council’ssocial services department,and all drivers are trained toNVQ Level 2 in driving roadpassenger service vehicles.They are proud of their

drivers’ excellentcommunication, customerservice and pastoral careskills.

TravelWise Development2008 – for good transportdesign in a new building/scheme.This award recognises the

scheme that supportsregeneration and strengthensthe public transport infra-structure by helping people toreach their destination easily,while making a range oftransport options available tothem.Winner: Iliad DevelopmentsGroup.Property developer the Iliad

Group has integrated asustainable Transport Planinto the design and delivery ofthree separate apartmentdevelopments in the citycentre – to reduce unnec-essary car use and encouragethe use of public transport,cycling and walking.The Jugglers Yard, Elysian

Fields and Levers Courtdevelopments have beendesigned with designated cycleparking, extra wide lifts toallow cycles to be taken intothe apartments, and enhancedlighting and smoothpavements to enhance cycleuse – and handover packsgiven to all residents includewalking and cycle maps ofLiverpool, local bus timetables,cycle discount vouchers andfree travel on bus servicesaround the city.

West Kirby Primary School’s walking bus volunteers, Ki Home, LynSaunders and John Hutchinson with pupils Oscar Home, 8, Mia Home,9, Margaret Saunders, 10, and Josephine Saunders, 7, with PhilRedmond and their award for the Best Primary School Travel Plan. MrRedmond presented all the awards and is pictured with other recipientson this page

Graham Pollard, travel plan officer, left, and ArthurGarnett, support officer, TravelWise Organisation 2008winners, University of Liverpool

Ian Stenton, environmental adviser, left, Cllr SteveNiblock, Mike Hall, energy and environmentalco-ordinator, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, withtheir BikeWise Award 2008 for best cycling initiative orachievement

Deputy head teacher Andrea Lucas, with pupils Neil Brunskill, 13,John Van-Eker, 14, and Callum Douglas, 13, of St Margaret’s C of E HighSchool, Aigburth Road, Liverpool, with their award for the Best HighSchool Travel Plan

Outstanding achievement in the category of best travel plan 2008was awarded to Christine Cartwright, deputy manager, left, andAlison Storer, marketing officer, of the National Wildflower Centre,Knowsley

John Prescott, head of planning,Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT)Healthcare Network, acceptedtheTravelWise Award 2008 for thebest sustainable transport initiative

Gill Pritchard, deputy head, DawpoolC of E Primary School, Wirral,received the WalkWise Award 2008for the best walking initiative orachievement

The Freightwise Award 2008, for thebest freight initiative, was presentedto Eric Knowles, of Mersey WasteHoldings Ltd

The Going the Extra Mile Award2008, for outstanding customerservice by an operator, was awardedto Bart Schmeink, Merseyrail

Bill Addy, development director, IliadDevelopments Group, winner ofTravelWise Development 2008, forgood transport design in a newbuilding/ scheme

TravelWise School Award 2008 forthe best overall school travel plan,was presented to Vincent Hall,learning mentor, St Christopher’sPrimary School, Speke

Chris Hodgkinson, director ofFormby Village Radio Cars, whowere highly commended

4 DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The MerseysideTransport Partnership aims toensure• everyone can reach jobs and opportunities• we manage travel demand and congestion• transport does not damage peoples’ health and encouragesactive lives• we protect the environment by reducing traffic emissionsand noise pollution• we make the best use of Merseyside’s excellent transportnetworkOur strategy, the Local Transport Plan, serves the prioritiesand needs of businesses, communities and individuals, helpingMerseyside grow and be a better place to live and work.

An ‘Excellent Partnership’We have twice been awarded ‘Excellent’ status both fortransport planning and delivery.This resulted in 25% extrafunding, meaning for 2006-11 we have £230 million to spendon transport system improvements and £40m to maintainexisting facilities.

High Level ofTargeted Investment 2006 - 2008

Measurable Impact on theTransport NetworkSince 2006, we have delivered a number of significantimprovements including:• £7.6m Olive Mount Chord rail scheme to be completed byend of 2008. Key part of Freight Strategy to improvemovement of goods and reduce traffic congestion• £7m upgrade of pedestrianised Church Street, Lord StreetandWhitechapel as part of the Liverpool City CentreMovement Strategy, providing safe and easy movement• £7m national award winning transformation of Bootle TownCentre and Bootle Oriel Road Station• £8.4m Blackbrooke by-pass, supporting regeneration andeasing community disruption from traffic• £6m rebuild of St Helens central station improving accessand attractiveness of rail journeys• £2.5m improvements on the A580 East Lancashire Road tosupport regeneration.

Improvements for all users

Since 2006 we have helped• generate an extra 3m trips on Merseyrail• 12,000 residents to access employment and training• train 24,000 young people to cycle safely• provide 160,000 employees and 80,000 students withinformation to help them make sustainable travel choices• make our roads safer by reducing traffic accidents,particularly among young people• the Capital of Culture by providing a high quality city centreenvironment.

Meeting ourTargets

KSI - killed & seriously injured

An Integrated ApproachBesides supporting our own City Region priorities, the LTPalso supports the national transport priorities relating tocongestion, air quality, accessibility and road safety.As well asinfrastructure improvements, the Merseyside TransportPartnership leads key schemes to secure best value and helpmeet our vision.These include:• Congestion Reduction Schemes, particularly on keyroutes where the Partnership’s traffic managers and theDepartment for Transport are working together to maintainfree flowing traffic in accordance with the NetworkManagement Duty• Renewal of the Freight Quality Partnership, engagingkey industry stakeholders in setting and deliveringimprovements to the Strategic Freight Network• TravelWise, working with schools, businesses and othercommunities to reduce car use• Let’s Get Moving andWorkWise, neighbourhood TravelTeams, free travel passes, cycles and scooters to help peopleliving in the most disadvantaged areas to reach jobs andtraining• Access, a groundbreaking partnership between St HelensChamber of Commerce and Arriva has enabled a new busservice to be introduced at Haydock

• Beacon Status, The Merseyside Transport Partnership andHalton Council have been awarded Beacon Status forenhancing community cohesion and opening upopportunities for people – also receiving one of only fourspecial commendations awarded nationally

• Largest cycle training scheme in UK, we deliver‘Bikeability’ training and are working in partnership withSustrans cycle to school schemes.We have created morecycle routes and parking places and have attracted extrafunding to improve cycling levels among disadvantagedcommunities

• Reduction in road accidents, based on partnershipworking and increased commitment from the police.

Addressing ChallengesKey areas for further action by 2011 include:•Working with bus operators to improve services andincrease bus use• Increasing levels of cycling• Tackling particular areas where road traffic casualties arestill high• Maintaining essential services such as street lighting anddrainage at a time of rising prices• Encouraging walking, cycling and public transport use to getto secondary education• Attracting additional funding to ensure we complete ourplans

Planning for the FutureWe are now starting to plan for a transport strategy beyond2011, that will• support Merseyside’s continuing economic growth• address climate change• manage increased demand for travel• ensure equal ease of movement for all members of thecommunity• maintaining a competitive edge through good journey timesand freight accessTo inform policy, the Planning for the Future programmeinvolves:• Chamber of Commerce business transport forum• regular transport briefings• City Centre liaison group• modelling of travel demand and traffic growth• research programmes

To join the debate about how to meet our transport needssustainably for the benefit of businesses, residents and futuregenerations, or to receive a copy of the Local Transport PlanProgress Report, email info@transportmerseyside.org orvisit www.transportmerseyside.org

MERSEYSIDE’S TRANSPORT PROGRESSMERSEYSIDE’S TRANSPORT PROGRESS

THE creation of a terminal forsuperships at the Port ofLiverpool could eliminate800,000 truck movements andsave North West industry£100m a year.

Bosses at Mersey Dockssay the develop-

ment is expect-

BUSINESSEDITOR:BILLGLEESON0151 472 2319

DEPUTYBUSINESSEDITOR:TONYMcDONOUGH0151 330 4918

BUSINESSFEATURESEDITOR:BARRYTURNBULL0151 472 2466

BUSINESSREPORTER:ALISTAIRHOUGHTON0151 472 2449

BUSINESSREPORTER:ALEXTURNER0151 472 2321

LDPBusinesswww.ldpbusiness.co.uk

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Online, in print, indispensable www.ldpbusiness.co.uk

Planners give green light to new four star-plus hotel project

Totalsavingof£100m

rensburgsheppards.co.uk

In association with

Supership terminal tosave £100m a year

Green benefits in switch from road to seaed to see the UK's biggest switchfrom road to sea transport.The green credentials lie at the

heart of plans to accommodate theworld's largest container vesselsin Seaforth. Detailed design workis currently under way on the£100m facility which will enable

the port to double its containertrade to 1.5m units a year.At the moment, the biggest

cargo ships can only unload atSouthampton and Felixstowe,leading to 200m truck milesbetween those ports and theNorth West. Peel Ports group

marketing director FrankRobotham said: “A post-Panamaxfacility in Liverpool would have abig impact on truck movementsand save money.“It can cost £500 or £600 to bring

a truck to the region from thesouth coast.“We estimate that the facility

will eliminate 800,000 lorry

FTSE 100

Inside

Cains debtswere £50mLIVERPOOL brewer Cainshad debts totalling £50mwhen it collapsed.

PAGE 2

Shares riseBELLWAy saw its sharesrise yesterday despite itsannual profits beingslashed by half.

PAGE 4

DelegationA 100-STRONG public andprivate sector delegation isto travel to London topromote Liverpool.

PAGE 5

Tax fightKNOWSLEY fuel supplierOSS Group is fighting anew tax.

PAGE 6

4394.2137.3▲

PLANS to revive andextend Liverpool’sWatson Building intoa four star-plus hotelhave been approvedby city planners.The site, a Grade II

listed building,formerly part ofLewis’s departmentstore, and theneighbouring formerRapid Hardwarepaint shop, werebought by CentralRegeneration, a jointventure of Mereparkand Irish developerBallymore, last year.The 70,000 sq ft

Watson Building willbe extended ontothe former Rapid siteto form a 170,000 sqft, 180 bedroom, fourstar-plus hoteldesigned byinternationalarchitects WoodsBagot.An international

hotel operator hasalready beensecured and thescheme’s approvalwill secure a further£50m investment forthe city centre.The development

will see therejuvenation of themainly unoccupiedWatson building.Ian Jones, director

of Merepark, said:“Working closelywith our architects,Woods Bagot, wehave developed ascheme whichresponds well to thelocal surroundingsand providesanother dynamic linkto Central Village.“Sustainability is

at the centre of ourvision, and we’reconfident that thedevelopment willresult in an excitingmixed-use quarter.”

BY BARRY TURNBULLDaily Post Business Features Editor

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

An impression of the hotel project planned for Renshaw Street

LONDON’S FTSE 100Index enjoyed anotherpositive session yesterdaywith a solid 3% advance asinvestors took heart frombank rescue plans.Wall Street ended with a

moderate loss. The Dowfell 76.62, or 0.82%, to9,310.99. The Standard &Poor’s 500 index fell 5.34,or 0.53%, to 998.01, andthe Nasdaq compositeindex fell 65.24, or 3.54%,to 1,779.01.

01925 273000www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk

Connectbusiness village, liverpool

self contained office buildings from 1,300-3,400 sq ft & centrix fully serviced offices

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Viewpoint

by Matt Lawler, managing director of leisure group Citrus Ventures

URBAN regenerationhas come a long waysince the 1950s.Policies and planningafter World War II led

to slum clearance in UK cities andthe growth of suburbia and greenbelts around the city. By the 1970s,it was clear that collectivistprovision had failed.The following two decades saw

a decline within our cities,architecturally, economically, andsocially and led architects andplanners to think again.A mass exodus from the city left

central business districtssurrounded by decaying, rundown inner city areas. Between1961 and 1994, Liverpool lost 35%of its population.This change led to commuter

belts and “stealth districts”leaving our towns and cities withpoor infrastructures. In recentyears, however, this has started tochange as, for example, the centralbusiness district has becomehome to thousands of newapartment homes, and cities likeLiverpool benefit dramaticallyfrom the process of regeneration.Today, growing sectors require

central office space first and

foremost and, where this has beenprovided, provision has beenmade by urban planners for anappropriate proportion ofhousing.However, imagination and

development have sometimes beenrestricted by inappropriateprivate sector schemes.For the successful transition of

a leisure district, theinfrastructure of our towns andcities often needs more carefulconsideration.Liverpool has been getting it

right in so many ways in recentyears, and the recent opening ofLiverpool One is a great exampleof how the public and privatesector can work together toprocure the quality andsustainability of key schemes as“best fit” models.If only we would have had these

programmes of urbandevelopment and its variousscales decades ago.At least now, far more than

ever, there is real expertise in themarketplace that crosses bothprivate and public sectorboundaries for the greater good.That’s when urban regeneration isworking at its best.

LIVERPOOL’S biggestcommercial landlord,Downing, has announced a£1.4m refurbishment projectfor two key office locationsadjacent to the city’s LiverpoolOne retail centre.The refurbishment of

Graeme House and VictoriaHouse, part of the propertygroup’s £40m investment in itscity centre office portfolio,aims to build on the success ofLiverpool One and the ongoingpublic realm improvements inthe area.

Around 33,000 sq ft ofavailable officeaccommodation will beupgraded alongside commonareas and facilities across thetwo buildings, which frontonto James Street and DerbySquare.Robin Ellis, senior agency

surveyor at Downing, said:“The occupier market is

holding up well and the creditcrunch hasn’t changed the factthat businesses still expand,leases still expire and tenantsare looking to achieve value.”

MPA reports £1msales from auction

New let atWidnes parkPRIORITY Sites hascompleted another dealon its hybrid businessspace at TurnstoneBusiness Park inWidnes.

The regenerationspecialist has secured adeal with Boulting,which will occupy2,348 sq ft on a three-year lease. This latestletting comes weeksafter plumbing andheating firm OMGmoved into 3,000 sq ftof new accommodationat the Business Park.

Downing to revampkey office locations

MERSEYSIDE Property Auctions isreporting almost £1m in sales from itsfirst auction.Kate Hughes set up MPA in the

summer and held her first event atthe Crowne Plaza, in Speke.Sales hit the £1m mark after almost

100 people attended the day-longauction with a total of 34 lots up forgrabs.Six further lots were sold prior to

the auction, with the total salesreaching £998,000 and 40% of the lotson offer being sold. Offers are stillbeing received and more sales areexpected within the next few weeks.Ms Hughes told LDP Business: “I

am really pleased to have hit themillion-pound mark at our firstauction. It shows that the propertymarket is not all doom and gloom.“People still want to buy property,

they just want to feel as though theyare getting a good deal.”MPA will hold its next auction on

November 19. Instructions arecurrently being taken with a closingdate of October 17.Another recent entrant into the

market – Whitegates – last month sold40% of lots at its latest auction,

generating receipts of £698,000. Itsnext event is on November 20.The latest results come as new

figures reveal substantial growth inthe auction share of the UK housingmarket.Since the third quarter of 2002,

when property auction salesaccounted for 1% of all recorded LandRegistry residential transactions,auction has become a more popularmethod of property disposal and hasmore than doubled its share of the UKmarket to over 2.3%.The data was compiled by Allsop

and the Essential Information Group(EIGroup).James Kersh, director of

Merseyside’s biggest propertyauctioneer, said: “Property sold atauction generally has a lower valuethan it would if sold through moretraditional routes on the open marketcreating a great pull for investors.”The next Kersh auction will be held

on October 23 at the Marriott Hotel.tonymcdonough@dailypost.co.uk

BY TONY McDONOUGHDeputy Business Editor

Marketis notalldoomandgloom

Kate Hughes, left, managing director of Merseyside Property Auctions, with colleagues EleniTsanikidis and Justine O'Meara, right

TO LETThroughout Merseyside

Chapelbrook • HuytonFrom 6,500 sq ft

Fully refurbished trade units

Potter Place • SkelmersdaleUp to 103,000 sq ft

Established distribution location

Link • HuytonFrom 10,000 to 73,000 sq ft approxLarge yard in excess of 1.5 acres

Synergy • Ellesmere PortFrom 4,000 to 46,460 sq ft approx

New Business Pk

The above represents a sample of our 1.5m sq ft on Merseyside

Please visit our website at www.spencerpropco.comor call us direct on:

DAILY POST Wednesday, October 22, 2008 7Businessweek

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Advertising Feature MCS Coffee

Trust the experts to perk up your businessA

LOCAL supplier ofhot and coldbeverages anddrinks machines,MCS Coffee, is

celebrating 20 successful yearsin the industry.A leading name in the

industry in the North West,MCS Coffee (along with itsparent company, Dwyfor) iswell known for supplying over300 customers with a widerange of hot and coldbeverages.The company can offer

everything from brandedcoffees through to their own-label brands, plus espresso,latte and cappuccinos.There’s also a large

selection of teas fromTwinings, Tetley and Clipperand a full range of Fairtradeproducts – in fact, 60% of theproducts sold are Fairtrade.On top of these, there are

mineral waters and refreshingjuices, plus a range ofbiscuits, chocolates andsyrups to spice up coffees.Along with the drinks

themselves, MCS also suppliesbusinesses with the machinesto serve them; everythingfrom espresso coffeemachines, water coolers,small pour-and-servemachines and largerautomated beverage centresor machines suited for thevending trade.The MCS Coffee client base

is wide and varied. Basically,

anywhere that drinks arerequired, MCS have been ableto assist.That means supplying

drinks and machines toanywhere from a smallbusiness to a large officebuilding; to cafes, caterers,bars and hotels (including 4and 5-star businesses); toschools, colleges and publicbuildings.As MCS’s managing

director, David Morris, says,the company can provide an

all-in-one service for allbeverage requirements.“Most clients will know us

as a supplier of a hugeselection of beverageproducts, but perhaps theydon’t realise that we havesuch a complete range ofwarm and cold drinksmachines that we can meet alltheir beverage needs,”explains David.“Plus, we can maintain

these machines, onceinstalled, and continue to

supply everything a customermay need to get the most fromit.”Over the past 20 years, the

beverage experts at MCSCoffee have seen some seismicshifts in the way we as anation take our coffee (andtea, for that matter).“As more people went

abroad, they experiencedbetter and more varied typesof coffee.“There was then a demand

for drinks like cappuccino and

latte that had not existedbefore.“MCS has benefited from

this and – coupled with ourreliability, great service,credibility and heritage – wehave been able to succeed overthe past 20 years and becomeknown as ‘coffee experts’.”MCS actually stands for

Merseyside Coffee Supplies,but the company suppliesbusinesses as far afield fromits Liverpool premises asPreston, Manchester,

Staffordshire, Cheshire andNorth Wales. Whether youwant instant coffee, filtercoffee or coffee beans; EarlGray, green or decaffeinatedtea; a range of juices, bothfresh and from concentrate; orcrisp, refreshing mineralwaters – along with all theequipment required to brewand dispense them – trust theexperts at MCS Coffee.■ CONTACT MCS Coffee,MCS House, Goodlass Road,Liverpool, tel: 0151 448 1223.

David Morris, managing director of the Liverpool branch of MCSCoffee, supplier of hot and cold beverages and drinks machines,above, and with office manager Tracey Cullen, left

Bridge developers look eastCHINESE investment cash isbeing sought to back the £431mMersey Gateway project – thesecond crossing between Runcornand Widnes – which will bemajority funded by the privatesector.The Government has

conditionally agreed to commit£86m, and the remainder will beraised through a combination of£123m of private finance initiative(PFI) credits and private finance.Yesterday, the Government

approved an additional £6m offunding for the project to coverthe costs of developing it betweennow and the start of construction.The budget has risen because ofadditional requirements that haveneeded to be satisfied, includingchanges to the design to extendthe scheme to the M56.The procurement stage will take

place once the planning process iscomplete. A public inquiry isexpected to start in March andlast for three months before adecision is made in late 2009. Ifapproved, construction work isscheduled to start in 2011 and the

bridge is planned to open in 2014.Chinese partners are increasinglybeing sought because of thecountry’s estimated cash surplusof £800bn and its growingexpertise in major infrastructureprojects. In May, a 22-mile bridge,claimed to be the world’s longestsea bridge, was opened betweenShanghai and Ningbo.Halton has also been twinned

with Tongling, a city of 760,000people in central China, since1997.David Parr, Halton Borough

Council chief executive,confirmed they were exploringthe possibilities of Chineseinvestment. He has been workingwith Liverpool Vision, the inwardinvestment agency which led abusiness delegation to Shanghailast month.“We are at an early stage,” he

said. “We are also talkinginformally to UK and Europeanbusinesses.”

Mr Parr is confident the projectwill not struggle to attract privatefinance, despite the globaleconomic climate.He added: “At this present time,

we don’t have any anxietiesbecause the funding stream comesfrom the tolling.”The private sector will use toll

revenue from a 30-year concession

to pay off a loan that funds theconstruction of the scheme. ThePFI credits provide for anoperating subsidy of around £8mper year and the toll is expected togenerate about £30m per year.The existing Silver Jubilee

Bridge will also be subject to tollsonce the Mersey Gateway opens.

alex.turner@liverpool.com

Chinese cash surplus may fundMersey Gateway construction

BY ALEX TURNERDaily Post Business Staff

An artist’s impression of the Mersey Gateway project

We areat anearlystage

ChinaLink chiefto move onTHE director ofLiverpool-basedChinaLink is to leave theorganisation after nineyears.

Dr Kegang Wu has ledthe organisation whichassists UK public sectorand trade organisationson doing business withChina.

He has established aChina chamber networkwith 26 members fromacross China asChinaLink's partners.

Dr Wu said: “I havedecided to move on toseek other businessopportunities.”

Before joiningChinaLink, he waschairman of theLiverpool ChinaCommittee for threeyears.

Dr Kegang Wu

Businessweek12 DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008

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IN BRIEF.Chip makerprofits riseby 17%CHIP maker Arm Holdingsreported a better-than-expected 17% hike in thirdquarter underlying pre-taxprofits to £24.9m after itsaid it had seen the bestquarterly revenueperformance in its history.

The Cambridge-headquartered firm postedrevenues of £71.7m in thethree months to September30, up 14% on a year ago.

New globalventure for oilFOOD giant and Primarkparent Associated BritishFoods announced a jointventure with globalagricultural processorArcher Daniels Midland tomake and distribute oilproducts in the US andCanada, through a firmcalled Stratas Foods.Both firms will hold a 50%stake in the operation.

£110m dealCONSTRUCTION firm KierGroup has won work worth£110m for Kent’s BuildingSchools for the Futureproject. The contract withKent County Council coverswork on five schools, saidKier, which is based inSandy, Bedfordshire.

£30m contractREADING-BASEDservices and buildinggroup Interserve has beenawarded a £30m contractto design and build a newmaternity ward and daysurgery for PooleHospital, in Dorset. Workis scheduled to start onsite before the end of2009, with the project duefor completion in 2012.

Profits fallFUND management groupSchroders revealed a sharpfall in third-quarter profits –at £213.7m, against£283.7m a year ago – asfund outflows picked uppace amid the marketturmoil. It said net outflowsreached £2.9bn in the threemonths to the end ofSeptember.

US launchSTAGECOACH Groupsaid it had expanded itsinner-city coach servicemegabus.com to four newlocations in NorthAmerica. The Perth-basedgroup said its US busservice was attracting150,000 passengers amonth.

Oil giant under attack afterposting £70m-a-day profits

OIL giant BP sparked anger lastnight after posting its biggest-everquarterly profits haul of $10bn(£6.4bn).

The company’s mammothearnings for the July toSeptember period are equivalentto around £70m a day, and awhopping 148% above the sameperiod last year.

BP’s record performance cameon the back of crude oil priceswhich hit a new peak above $147 abarrel in mid-July.

Yesterday’s results shatteredCity expectations but drew firefrom union leaders and politicians– prompting fresh calls for awindfall tax.

Labour MP John McDonnell(Hayes and Harlington) accusedBP of “profiteering” and added: “Iwill be calling in Parliament forprice controls and profit windfalltaxes.”

Tony Woodley, joint leader ofUnite, said oil companies were“banking money faster than theycan count it”.

“A windfall tax on the oil giantswould help 6m people heat theirhomes this winter and would sendthe clear message thatprofiteering from the basics of lifeis not just immoral but will not betolerated by our Government,” hesaid.

Prime Minister Gordon Brownurged energy companies to passon falls in the price of oil to

consumers through reducedprices for petrol at the pump andfuel to heat homes.

Speaking at 10 Downing Street,Mr Brown did not directly addressthe issue of BP’s profits, but toldreporters: “I notice somecompanies have brought theirprices down and I encourageothers to do so to reflect the factthat the price of oil is now below$60 when it used to be, for a fewweeks, nearly $150.

“There has been more than ahalving in the price of oil and, justas when the price goes up peoplesee it immediately reflected in thepetrol pump prices, we want to seethe falling price reflected in thepetrol pump prices, and we aredetermined to see that happens.”

Downing Street acknowledgedBP generated much of its profitsoverseas and that it needed toinvest in North Sea oil explorationand production.

Motorists and businesses havefelt the pain at the petrol pumpthis year, with petrol prices onlyfalling below £1 a litre in recentweeks.

Oil prices have fallen by morethan half their July peak to justabove $60 a barrel as globalrecession fears mount, despitemoves by oil cartel Opec to cutproduction.

BP chief executive Tony

Hayward said: “Although it hassince fallen away sharply, the highoil price of the third quarterobviously helped our absoluteresult.”

The company averaged a sellingprice of more than $111 a barrel,compared to just $71 in the sameperiod last year.

Stripping out exceptional gains,BP’s underlying “clean” profits of$8.9bn (£5.7bn) delighted the City,pushing its shares almost 8%higher.

Dresdner Kleinwort analystColin Smith called the results“outstanding”.

Richard Hunter, head of UKequities at Hargreaves Lansdown,added: “These numbers havecomfortably surpassed the top endof expectations and reiterate BP’sposition as a true oil major.”

Mr Hayward said the companywas well-set to weather the stormof a global recession and theprospect of falling oil prices.

“I believe that BP is well-positioned to cope with suchvolatility. Our balance sheet isstrong and we have committedless of our portfolio to high-costoptions like tar sands and gasconversion than some of ourpeers.

“We think the current turmoilmay, in fact, create opportunitiesfor us and we will look at thosevery closely,” he added.

Despite the boost from recordoil prices, Mr Haywardmaintained that BP had alsobenefited from an improvedoperating performance.

Progress on major projects suchas its Thunder Horse platform inthe Gulf of Mexico more thanoffset the impact of hurricanes inthe region during a period inwhich BP produced 3.66m barrelsof oil equivalent a day – 5% aheadof last year.

Oil giant BP has posted its biggest-ever quarterly profits haul

Tony Woodley – oil firms‘banking money fasterthan they can count it’

Tony Hayward – current turmoilmay create opportunities

Call for windfall tax as BPaccused of ‘profiteering’ inwake of record fuel prices

BY RUSSELL LYNCHDaily Post Correspondent

DAILY POST Wednesday, October 29, 2008 5Businessweek

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supply in the UK. It remainsimportant that we take advantage ofthe benefits of our relative size andcontinue to promote our vision forRedrow. This will enable us todifferentiate our business andcapitalise on the opportunities thatwe will create for the benefit ofshareholders in the future.”

That long-term optimism doesseem to be shared by McLean’sadministrators. In the short-term,the company will face the pain offurther job losses as its contractingdivision is closed down.

But joint administrator BillDawson said the housebuildingdivision was “an attractive prospectfor potential purchasers” and wouldcontinue to trade.

In Liverpool, David McLean wasjoint partner with Langtree on the£250m scheme to build more than1,300 apartments on the formerInternational Garden Festival site, inOtterspool.

On Monday, Langtree was quick totell the world that it would bepressing ahead with the projectwhatever happens to McLean.

The future of McLean’s other keyLiverpool development – the jointventure with City Lofts to build 429apartments on Kings Waterfront –

was less certain. Site owner EnglishPartnerships is to meet McLean’sadministrators to find a wayforward, while development partnersincluding Liverpool Vision havepledged to discuss whether aresidential development is still thebest use for the site at a time whenthe urban apartment market hasslowed considerably.

James Kersh, director of SuttonKersh in Liverpool, said he expectedthe city centre residential marketwould pick up once the mortgagemarket returned to normal.

He said the “disappointing”postponement of the KingsWaterfront residential scheme could,in fact, help the city centre market,as if it were completed when thesector was still in a slump it wouldmean yet more apartments floodinginto a crowded market.

“What people have to realise isthat this is a buyer’s market. Ifthere aren’t buyers there to takeup the slack, then purelyeconomically they’re not worthbuilding right now.”

BILL GLEESON: PAGE 8alistairhoughton@dailypost.co.uk

developers Langtree McLean; Peter Swift, landscape architect; and Cllr Mike Storey, Liverpool’s executive memberGarden Festival site revamp was in the planning stages. Langtree has promised to press ahead with the project

Partnerswillpresson withproject

An aerial view of the festival site, due forredevelopment, before the formerFestival Hall was removed

James Kersh

administrators are in findingbuyers for parts of thebusiness deemed attractiveto other companies

David McLean was said byjoint administrator NickEdwards to be facing debtspossibly as much as £100mafter falling victim to thecredit crunch and thedownturn in the propertydevelopment market.

The administrators have

closed the group’s contra-cting division but continue totrade the housing divisionwhile they search for a buyerfor it as a going concern.

Mr Edwards has said thehouse-building division, withwhat Deloitte describes as itshigh quality land andproperty assets, should be an“attractive prospect forpotential purchasers”.

The third arm of the David

McLean Group, David McLeanDevelopments, has also goneinto administration.

Asked by the Daily Postabout the development sideof the business, Deloitte said:“We have only just beenappointed as administratorsand are currently assessingall the available options.”

Directors of David McLeanwere unavailable forcomment.

grave problems for scores of sub-contractors

■ WHAT do you think about David McLean’sfinancial woes? Have your say athttp://forums.liverpooldailypost.co.uk■ FOR past stories about other companies hit bythe housing slowdown, visit www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/tags/urban-splash orwww.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/tags/city-lofts

If you have pension funds/investments totalling £100,000 or more and wouldlike to know what your next move should be, come and talk to us.

Ian Cockbain, a Senior Partner of the St. James’s Place Partnership, will beholding a special pension/investment advice surgery in the Boardroom, 5thFloor, Martins Building, 4 Water Street, Liverpool L2 3SX on Tuesday, 4thand Wednesday, 5th November.

Please call Ian to make an appointment or for more information.

Senior PartnerSt. James’s Place Partnership5th Floor, Martins Building4 Water Street Liverpool L2 3SX

... we may have some solutions to help you!

Ian Cockbain

0151 224 8710iancockbain@sjpp.co.uk

The St. James’s Place Partnership is the sole advisory channel of St. James’s Place Wealth Management

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