It's official! And you read it first in your super, soaraway Eastcliff Richard! Splashed over the front page of today's Thanet Times is the news that Paigle Properties Ltd and Paigle (Margate) Ltd have gone down the gurgler. According to the administrators appointed to liquidate the companies' assets, work on Margate's Royal Sea Bathing Hospital development will continue. But they were unable to comment on the future of Paigle's proposed development at the Cliftonville Lido.
Actually it gives me no pleasure to be proved right on this. I have a nasty feeling that Paigle won't be the last developer on the island to cash in their chips. I can't honestly say that the prospect of swapping ten years of hideous eyesores for another ten years of half built, hideous eyesores is filling the old Eastcliff cockles with joy!
5 comments:
I'm sorry for Paigle as I think they have done a good job at the Sea Bathing Hospital but many of us have been saying for years - no more flats - there are just too many - and we don't need any more, in Ramsgate, Margate or anywhere else. Far better to do something with the properties we've already got - which was what Paigle was trying to do.
Burn them, burn them all! Fire is good!
Sorry, got carried away there! This is land that is needed for development, isn't it...?
I think the facade of the development is great, but that being a listed structure it should be. The flats themselves have been dogged by problems: damp, electrics and gas issues. The interiors aren't that great and certainly fall short of what I would call a luxury development. Then there is the issue of the number of units. There were just too too many. Many bought by buy-to-let investors who then rent them out on. And we all know what Margate's open rental market is like. The site expanded beyond all recognition from the initial scope. The same goes for the Lido. 400+ units!!
It's a shame the site wasn't in public use, perhaps as an art gallery! :)
Can we now petition to get the Lido back open as a swimming pool?
What Margate needs is good social housing not (so called) luxury developments. It would benefit from long term social & economic re-development that tackled education and employment in an effort to build communities. Art regeneration is good but can be divisive. Properties at the Sea Bathing are usually owned by greedy Londoners and rented out for large rents. There is no community and often these places lack soul.
So can I take this opportunity to warn anyone wanting to buy a place there to stay well clear. It is dogged with problems, leaking pipes, poor plumbing and dangerous electrical and gas installation. Not to mention the damp!
Paigle aren't all bad though and I hope they learn from their experiences. Jane has passion and vision (to be applauded) Is it time to take a look at affordable social housing options though like they have in Holland rather than chasing the bucks.
Not missing the atmosphere and poor hospitality of the Harbour Bar Cafe.
Paigle and Thanet Council have destroyed the Sea Bathing. The main building still isn't finished and they have tried to over-develop the rest of the site with pure greed. Well that greed has turned on them now they have gone under.
Why it couldn't be open plan so the locals could walk through the site and access the community.
The old Dog & Duck pub which I beleive they purchased too is a site, in fact Westbrook is a dump and TDC don't care.
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