When Skies Are Grey Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Jeez now I feel bad...perhaps the doses are all wrong or the smell of popcorn sets him right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 he must keep some popcorn in his pocket then seeing as he has a side line in being a male stripper there's an idea to liven up your xmas party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deejay Denzel Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 On a dancefloor you need to give him a boundary of five meters, his can-can and vertical push up dance could take your head off! Jeff is a top bloke when you get to know him. Not seen much of him lately, last time was when my mate gave him a lift to a strippergram appointment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_kitty Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Jeff is ace, i remember (trying) to dance with him a while back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I went to cubs with Jeff. He's missing a few keys on his piano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 yeah but life would be boring if we all played to the same tune he's eccentric and it's good to have people like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 From MR "People concerned about the future of the Castle Mona will have an opportunity to have their say at a public meeting this evening." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Just a thought. As it was possible to find approx £15m to refurbish the Villa Marina (plus whatever the cost may be of the arcade), would it not be possible for the government to purchase the Castle Mona, find an architect who can bring it up to the required standard as a hotel whilst retaining the integrity of the building, then lease it to someone? The return on the investment might not be great, but it would probably be more than it is on some other projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Flynn Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Just a thought.As it was possible to find approx £15m to refurbish the Villa Marina (plus whatever the cost may be of the arcade), would it not be possible for the government to purchase the Castle Mona, find an architect who can bring it up to the required standard as a hotel whilst retaining the integrity of the building, then lease it to someone? The return on the investment might not be great, but it would probably be more than it is on some other projects. Lonan3 Yes it is possible but according to Adrian Earnshaw, Minister for Tourism, speaking at last night's public meeting, this is not the remit of Government. The receivers are in charge currently, although the D.T.L. are speaking to them and hopefully there will be an acceptable offer from an hotelier by Jan 19th, the date when expressions of interest have to be in. The receivers will sell to the best offer ( £4 million has been mentioned)- possibly even for apartments although surely Government could stop the loss of tourist beds through the planning process even though it is not as good as it should be. Still no All Island Strategic Plan! We are working on a Douglas plan from 1998 and the 1982 Development Order. There are 98 rooms at the Castle Mona and presently some 500 extra rooms are needed island wide. Currently the island has 6,100 bed spaces. Grants as we know are available for tourist development provided there is money in the pot and also conservation/registered building grants for the fabric up to 60% of the cost. Most people would like to see an upgrading of the hotel to 4 star, retention of the leisure facilities, particularly the 10 pin bowling (300 children use it) and retention of all the heritage features (ballroom, wedgewood room, special staircase etc )which are protected under law. The danger is that it might go the way of Douglas Head,the Majestic and the Central Hotel with apartments. The balance between apartments and tourist accomodation has got out of hand and needs to be restored if we are still to maintain a tourist industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parchedpeas Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Tourist industry is long gone. And it's not the job of government to prop up private enterprise. Governments should GOVERN. Not babysit failing industry. When you open the books on our 'tourist industry' you'll see that it costs more than it recoups. Yes there are peripheral benefits, and some local business survives solely onthe back of the small number of visitors we receive, but some of these are artificially kept alive by government grants, subsidies and the like. If the tourist industry was a shoe shop, or a newsagent, the government would not subsidise it to life all the time, it would let the market decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 In general I would agree Parched Peas, certainly as regards the high volume tourism of yesteryear, but there is demand for good quality hotel accommodation and from that perspective I am with Charles and Lonan. The government should step in, not necessarily to buy it up, but to make sure yet another important part of Douglas's heritage is preserved and we cater for the changing visitor (I wouldn't really call it tourism) market that we now enjoy. Perhaps if the Castle Mona had upped its standards to 4 star some time ago, it would not be in the financial state it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisner Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Following on from Charles......listed buildings are all very well but in most cases the listed building simply becomes a sad reminder and a pastiche of what it previously stood for. Finch Road church for example or the Crescent Cinema work going on just now. What use is that facade other than as a sad reminder of what was there? (Repetition of the phrase "sad reminder" intentional) As well as the building, I feel the actual use should somehow be registered or at least protected. I think Brenda Cannell alluded to this last night regarding PGG or Planning Policy Guidance used by the Planning Inspectorate UK. I would point out that I was disgusted to hear 2 senior politicians (Local and er, National) chatting to each other whenever Mrs Cannell was speaking to the panel/meeting. I thought it rather ignorant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tugger Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 How do you figure we need that many more beds, Charles? Surely these hotel closures suggest that this is not the case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Flynn Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Tugger, The thought about extra beds came from the Director of Tourism Mr Le Page. I am just reporting what he said was Tourist Dept. policy. If you take the view that tourism is dead - and I can tell you from my business experience that soon after the Millenium year of 1979 it went down with a wallop, of course we don't need tourism beds. On the other hand if you want to regenerate that sector of the economy and raise standards for business travellers, probably we do. Perhaps some of the existing accomodation is not of a quality which the Tourist Dept. thinks it should be. It used to be the case that the ordinary people needed tourism to provide reasonable work for at least part of the year but of course times have changed, as indeed have perceptions with the growth of the financial industry and very low unemployment levels. Speaking for myself I would be very sad to think that with such a beautiful island we would not regard it as a place which we could share with others all year round within a tourist industry. Lisner, I agree. Our politicians often let themselves down by not being courteous to each other. Regarding Listed/Registered buildings - this status can always be changed depending on the view taken at any moment in time. Castle Mona has made an indelible imprint on our heritage and so it is worthy of being listed provided of course it doesn't become an excessive drain on our resources. What price beauty, heritage, culture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Following on from Charles......listed buildings are all very well but in most cases the listed building simply becomes a sad reminder and a pastiche of what it previously stood for. I'd disagree in this case. At £4m its got the potential to revert back to being one of the grandest private houses on the Island. Its actually pretty cheap in comparison to what else is out there - keep with the protection order, restore it as a Regency mansion and rip out the bowling alley and landscape the gardens. Turn "the Office" into staff quarters. It has fantastic potential as a private residence. For £5 / £6m when finished you couldn't buy better on the Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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