Author: simon
Ryde Gateway Interchange Project Could Be Cancelled
Monday, 5th October, 2009 at 6:14 pm, Isle of Wight
Ferry, Isle of Wight Council, Ryde, Tourism, Train, Travel
The Ryde Gateway Interchange project, that has been in development for many years, is possibly going to be cancelled on Tuesday next week.
We were given the heads up on this by a commenter on VB, ‘anton‘, and have been researching the story with people ‘in the know’ around Ryde today.
Confirmation of the future of the Gateway being discussed came in the form of meeting notes for the 13th October Cabinet meeting (PDF).
The paper is quite involved and explains how costs of the project have risen and concludes with a recommendation of
It is recommended that Option 2 is implemented:
Cabinet agrees to terminate the Ryde Gateway Project and, in doing so, agrees to give consideration to allocating £1,500,000 to undertake improvements to the public realm and Council assets in Ryde, aligned with the Council’s corporate priorities, following consultation with the relevant Ward Members and the Town Council.
More details shortly.
UPDATE: Sorry, due to a lack of time (how to change that), we didn’t get a chance to get back to this one, but suspect that those interested in the detail would have read through the document PDF themselves.
Image: Secret Pilgrim under CC BY-SA 2.0
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Why do proverbs about organising parties in a fermentation plant spring to mind?
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It buggers belief !
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They can’t even spend £6.2 million of someone else’s money. They’ve tried blaming everyone through the years since they took responsibility for it. Last time they managed to consider it at County Hall they agreed to put £1.5 million of our own Island’s funds to it to make up for the cost increase over 5 years of failing to build it. Now they’re turning down the £6.2 million grant (not loan, it’s a gift) from the government, and they are planning to spend the £1.5 million of our money on Ryde – funnily enough not on the bus station / train station site, but on their own projects. So they’re spending £1.5 million of our money and all they’ve done for the interchange is to throw out all the occupiers of the bus station, and leave us with what we had in the first place. What a bloody disgrace. Who is responsible for this then?
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I have to say having read the paper that is going to the Cabinet, the decision to ‘terminate’ the project seems to be the only right one for the Island. If they had gone ahead it would have left the Council and us as tax payers exposed financially should Network Rail want to take back the new development with 6 months notice.
The question that should now be asked is how on earth Network Rail are allowed to be so greedy? They are a state company supposedly committed to maintaining and improving the rail infrastructure. They seem to be putting little into this project and then expecting to take a cut of any profit on the development. A nice little earner!
Finally lets not forget Network Rail and its predessor Rail Track ’skimmed’ millions off the Island Line franchise without investing in any significant improvements to the track.
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But that’s the same clause that Network Rail have in every single bit of railway land and property across the UK. Even at places like Victoria Station, where the major retailers accept it. It’s a clause specifically designed to allow them to take control in the event of a major disaster so they can rebuild infrastructure.
The IW Council knew about the clause six years ago – it’s just an attempt to blame someone else. Everything was going along fine until the Council suddenly decided that this well known clause was an insurmountable problem. By then years had passed, the whole scheme had been designed twice over, and heaven knows how much spent preparing. The Christmas before last they got Islandline to evict their tenants including Southern Vectis. They knew all about the clause then, so why did they go that far?
Anyway, the word is that a few months ago, after all the fuss about the clause, the Council told Network Rail that they weren’t bothered and would sign up, but Network Rail were so fed up with the way the IWC had been delaying and blaming them, that they told them to go away.
So what’s really happened then? And how much of OUR money have IW Council spent on the project so far? And how much are they likely to have to pay Islandline and Southern Vectis in compenstaion? And what the hell are they proposing to do to the bus station that they have turned into a ghost town? Answers please IW Council, not excuses!
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its called ineptitude…this council (and the one before) are incapable of running the Island…even when a consultant they have paid tells them so.
Please Gods let us have some new blood..the old blood is very stale
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Anton, point of information Victoria Station is actually owned by Network Rail. Yes they do have the clause in most of their land deals, but does that mean we should enter into such an arrangement especially as the Gateway development is right next to an unpredictable natural hazard(the sea)?
However you miss my point about the profit sharing clause, which from what I hear is a fairly recent addition. So it is acceptable for the Council to pump in our money and take all the risk and then pay an absentee landlord who has invested little in the development or our rail infrastructure? I think not.
The Council has proven unable to deliver major projects since the Undercliffe incident, which is disappointing as the Gateway/ Interchange project would have made a real difference in Ryde for residents and visitors alike.
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Lets face it, they never had any real good tenants to profit share with, they never had any plans to pay to fit out the interior, and they never had any plans as to how they were going to maintain it. Blaming Network Rail is the easy option for a Council so inept that they are about to give back £6.2 million for a project they initiated, they designed, they business cased and they costed. They like to blame someone for everything else, but ask Islandline what their take is on it and you’ll hear the reality that IW Council don’t want you to hear.
What’s more the lunatics running the asylum in Newport suspended the project manager for about 21 months for irregulaties, before he was reinstated, then he promptly went sick. Are we (yes we!) still paying his wages? And the fees to the mainland consultants they brought in to ‘project manage’ it after they thought they had got rid of him?
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There are definitely some hard questions that the Council need to answer on where things went wrong. Firstly why the delays in starting the whole project which meant that the initial grant for £6.2 million was never going to be enough to build the new interchange?
However rather than focusing on knocking the Council, where should the Council go now in making the Esplanade site a more attractive environment? Anton you are good on the negatives but what about some positives?
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The result of this saga will end up costing us more money. The interchange will remain dormant for another year or two and then the Council will agree to invest a substantial amount of OUR money in this project under the same network rail terms without the extra cash from central government. Because through their posturing and complete incompetence they will duly have to pay for the aftermath. Nothing much changes eh? Sad but then thats democracy for you.
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All of this gives me a bad feeling about the Roads PFI. What other projects could go wrong?
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Earl Grey
We have a right to be negative. These people are either elected to look after our interests and spend our money wisely, or in the case of officers are very well paid to ensure that these projects happen properly.
These same councillors spent millions on an investigation into the Undercliff contract – are they prepared to let soemone independent carry out an inquiry into this?
They aren’t promising to spend the money they put aside on Ryde Interchange, the Director responsible for overseeing this whole fiasco is suggesting that they spend the money elsewhere in Ryde, and don’t do anything in the Interchange area as it would still need to involve Network Rail.
I want to see this Council sort out the appalling mess that is the interchange site. It was dismal eight years ago when they took the decision to rebuild it. Now it’s a complete ghost town which they have had cleared and then walked away from. Be positive and ask them what they are planning to do about the interchange site – the answer is NOTHING!
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To me personally, this just screams “Typical Isle of Wight Incompetence…”
Unfortunately it is one of the reasons I’ve moved to London and one of the reasons many other young people have gone elsewhere too!
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David, the Island does not have a monopoly on incompetence, I would point out the ongoing eyesore that is the old Battersea Power Station site and the collapse of Metronet who were supposedly renovating London Underground.
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I completely agree and I’m not denying for an instant that London has many faults, but they have many more positives that outweigh these.
For me the Island has friends, family and a brilliant natural environment. Most investment on the Island (I would argue) is short-term and often comes in over budget and a lesser product (like many other councils I guess). The blunderings with this interchange are the start. There are the schools, the constant road ‘improvements’, under funding for public services, the community cock-up that is the Ryde Library ‘Lite’, the endless wind-turbine ‘debate’ and many more besides.
I did an investigation into this interchange for my A-levels and I was really looking forward to it. It would be good not only for residents but also for tourists and workers that come to the Island. Even though many residents complained it wasn’t ‘in-keeping’ the council still gave it the go-ahead. The only thing they seem to have done right with this project I think.
Anyway, I’m sorry for my rant, and I’m sorry if you think I was completely dismissing the Island, I’m not, I love our Island, I’m just dismissing the council.
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I assume this is Edward Giles’(once of Buckle and Drew in Ventnor)contribution to the Island.
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Well here’s another surprise. One of the 1st impressions of the Island screwed up again. Well at least they painted the breezeblock wall at the bus station southern vectis green. lol
Community pride my ass! Bring is some people who care…please!
On another rant….After issuing out free grants to paint fascia’s in Union Street I noticed a traffic warden trying to issue a ticket on a skip! That’s right a skip! Tradesmen have nowhere to park to actually do up the town…..Ridiculous! On receiving a ticket (After leaving a note in the window where I was workng) I was informed after appeal that you have to apply 5days in advance and pay a bay fee……Jokers…real jokers. Common sense and council rarely go together and it’s increasing the unrest and depression here on the Isle for sure.
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No they didnn’t. Even though they had been evicted and had to take all their signs and information down so the demolition could start, and spend tens of thousands on new premises, Southern Vectis went in about a year later and did all the painting and signing again because it was such a disgrace and the Council took no responsibility for it.
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I personally dont think we need the interchange, when the existing layout has worked for many year, and that the existing building only needs a tidy. the new interchange would have just been a waste of money spent on ryde.
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Even so, the Council made Islandline chuck out Southern Vectis and all the shops etc in there. They moved to replacement premises and now the rentals and rates aren’t funded. The Council needs to take responsibility for what’s left.
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