Author: simon
Gaiety Goes Up For Sale
Tuesday, 22nd January, 2008 at 9:18 pm, Isle of Wight
Sadness reached the meeting of Ventnorians tonight when they heard that The Gaiety had been boarded up, ready for its sale.
Russell, the manager, told the assembled 45 business people and shop owners that he’d tried to make the business work for 2.5 years, but the returns from the business weren’t significant enough.
Equipment has been gradually removed from there over the past week.
VentnorBlog has, in the past, learnt from a source close to the owners that the Gaiety site itself has been valued at over £3m by property developers.
It’s understood that the site will remain boarded up until it is sold. It’s likely that this will extend into or past the summer, creating a terrible impression for visiting tourists at our precious seafront.
Obviously a site that large would be very tempting to a property developer, so it looks like there could be a fight ahead for those who don’t want the centre of the Esplanade dominated by a new block of flats.
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January 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 pm
It would be good if the mayor or any other Ventnor Council member who reads the Blog could be approached to consider liaising with Russell to approach the lady in Upper Ventnor who paints those wonderful pictures on her house wall to ask her to paint an attractive mural on the boarding in time for the season.
Sadly unless the Council are proactive and pretty quick then the vandals and graffiti artists and poster stickers will get in first and do untold damage to the tourist industry not only for Ventnor but for the Island.
Are you reading this Ventnor Councillors, Russell, talented painting lady in Upper Ventnor(sorry I don’t know your name).
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Leaving a site looking horrible it a typical property developers trick … the longer it looks bad, the more grateful the people are when it’s turned into flats. Get it painted quick.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
Oh dear oh dear - the value of the Gaiety, although just a bunch of cheapy little slot machines and games is of great significance to the seafront in the summer (even though the guy obviously didn’t make enough money). It was something to do for kids on holiday, even had a little cafe next to it, and it also helped hold back the tide of another pointless flats development… hopefully the same won’t apply to this site. How many flats in the Metropole have been sold thus far?
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:39 am
alan said about this some time ago, its a prime site , worth shedloads , and an old trick as you say to leave it looking grim , flats i expect , still if they look good it brings money in to ventnor i guess , i actually think the met looks ok now , mind you we get used to anything in time !
January 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Interested parties could get together to purchase it as whole and then maybe it could be made into units with a different shop in each one ? It’s big enough to consider.
Could even house an art gallery ?
GW
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
@ Alf, all of the flats are sold in the Metropole and have been for some time. In fact there is a huge demand for more I believe. I think the Metropole is a great building especially as it was a derilict site for so long before. All of these sites, Beachlands, La Vaness, The Gaiety and probably The Mill Bay, if what i hear is true, will remain an eyesore unless we allow some investment. REALISTIC investment.
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
The problem with that Stuff You attitude of property developers of years gone by is that it doesn’t wash these days. There’s now powers to _make_ the owners of a building maintain it - for the good of the town.
On La Veness - I understand Rob Reed, the town manager, has used these news powers to trace the owners of La Veness, who were previously unknown.
Realistic investment, as you define, it doesn’t have to equate to the destruction of the area for the benefit of a few, at the cost of the many.
It’s the case of finding the _right_ investment - from people with the money and the vision to satisfy the wishes of the majority of people, not just themselves.
BTW - you’ve got to be joking about the Metropole being a great building - the blue poles at the front are starting to corrode within a couple of years. How is that great?
Perhaps we should rename the MetroPole, the RustyPole?
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
“All of these sites, Beachlands, La Vaness, The Gaiety and probably The Mill Bay, if what i hear is true, will remain an eyesore unless we allow some investment.”
So the blackmail begins eh Slop John B?
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Nice to hear the Metropole has sold up, yet I never see people in the flats - must all be holiday homes I guess…
I do hope whoever takes this site on with look to a sensible, maximum two story development (although thats not practical if you want to make money money money). A community development there would be good, a multipurpose building, maybe an arts centre, or something rather than a further monotonous flat development such as the Metropole and the Rex. Personally, I agree with Simon - the Metropole, although considerably better than before looks cheap, unimaginative, and plain dull to my eyes (subjective I know).
Its a shame the Gaiety has to go - the seafront will just become one mass eatery with very little amenities other than the beach itself.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
What is this almost pathological hatred of “Property Developers”? How many Ventnor folks don’t actually live in a property? The Town was a small fishing village before “Property Developers” built the Victorian terraces that everybody raves about. The Metropole was a dump full of wino’s before redevelopment, it couldn’t make it as an hotel and would still be a crumbling bad advertisment for the Town if nobody had risked money to make the place acceptable. It was obviously a risk too as both the developer and builder are now in liquidation. How many of you who keep on about an Arts Centre will borrow money against your own property to buy the tawdry “Amusement” Arcade and build one?
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
January 24th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Whats wrong with proposing an alternative to flats Mr Mental?
January 27th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
What about approaching the owner to enable the building to be used by a local group,for instance to display art or local information until it is sold. Is this a viable idea? There would be benefits on both sides.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:20 am
January 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Phone number for gaiety is 852472
January 30th, 2008 at 10:11 am
If anyone knows the mural artist Anne Turner, it would be great to see if she would paint the hoardings on the front of the gaiety - it would really cheer the seafront up until tit’s fate is decided.
Perhaps the TC could fund the paint?
February 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
It’s amazing that the Gaiety is closing, huh? Why is it closing? I used it occasionally, but not the gambling machines, and enjoyed the arcade games, ect, until the games companies cynically put the costs up, and, anyway, home games consoles seems to have put the kibosh on most of the big expensive arcade machines, out of the ‘pocket money’ range of most kids, even if places like the Gaiety gave them ’some place to go/do’.
So, what’s left? A totally unnecessary ‘adult entertainment’ gambling arcade in the town, it’s only real contribution to Ventnor being the business rates it pays to Ventnor Council.
Otherwise, all it offers is yet another place for impoverished gambling addicts to lose their cash in the hope of winning some derisory amount - worse than the local Bookmakers shop (yet another wasted space) - and an enticement for young people to waste their cash, and time, getting into debt and, possibly, crime to finance their growing habit - the same may be said of alcohol and drug ‘cultures’; - the argument may be said that the slot machine culture does not cause these problems, but they don’t do anything to dissuade them, as long as the money keeps coming in!
So, now that the Gaiety has closed down, a mostly innocent establishment, on the whole, for holiday distractions, it may be hoped that the adult gaming centre will follow suit!
February 21st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Anybody got an idea which agent the good ol gaiety is being sold through?
February 21st, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Damn and bloody Damn - just found this out!
This is a shame, we used this a couple of times with our kids on our last visit to Ventnor. Yes it was a bit dated inside and more and more kids are into and have got game consoles etc BUT this was a piece of Esplanade history. Now just a memory……
I agree with what Alf says; A community development there would be good, a multipurpose building of some sort.
NOT more blocks of fancy looking flats - even some small gift shops that retained the name and outdoor lighting of The Gaiety may be okay.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Quite a few folks in the town plan survey, have proposed the Gaiety would make for an excellent indoor childrens play and activity area (year round). It would seem to make sense from a planning point of view.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I wonder how much the current owner will make on the sale of the Gaiety if he has only been there for 2.5 years & the £ 3m price tag is real!
In principal I don’t have an objection to the redevelopment of this site as long as it is sympathetic to the sites heritage, its environment and is no higher than the buildings either side of it (i.e 2/3 storeys). I too heard that it had some listed status but cannot confirm that.
Mixed use including a smaller amusement arcade would be appropriate, but that is only my humble opinion.
In the meantime I think some decent murals would be good.