Stuck in Reverse
By: Irene Bradford
Have you ever felt Stuck in Reverse?
Author Irene Bradford has and she frankly shares her life in a refreshingly candid memoir.
The book is a very true story and Irene talks candidly about her early years. Despite going into Oldham on occasions for a sack of coke at the age of 12, she never, ever, considered herself a deprived child. She writes about the hardships and struggles her mother had bringing up a family of ten children. And describes in detail of the time she jumped naked out of a 25 ft plus window when confronted by thee masked men in her bed room. At that time Irene had spent fifteen long hard years building up a business, but had to give it all up due to a very bad back injury.
However, back to training, she bought the gym from her trainer- cum owner, and this was the begining of a traumatic, and very stressful thirty plus year journey.
After years of long days and early mornings building up this business, that involved remortgaging her home, and taking out large bank loans, she finished up owning a fully paid up, one million pound property portfolio on the canal front. At the back of her buildings was a piece of land that was council owned, and Irene had a lease on it for fire exit way out. However in 2002 the lease expired, and to her shock, and horror, she was only granted a new one for two years. So in 2004 the business had to go. Then after trying for years to buy the land from the council, it was eventually offered to her as a building development.
After getting the requested plans drawn up and passed, troubles started to erupt with the council, and Irene tells the whole story from the beginning to end.
On top of all this hassle, she had an arson attack on the buildings, and that incident involved losing a very healthy rental income. She tells in detail of the suspect, the missing keys, and the day the C.I.D man told her that they had to close the file due to lack of evidence.
The site she closed down her business for is still undeveloped even though developers arrived in their droves.
Now she is very close to losing the burnt out site plus everything she as worked all her life for.
Feeling very bitter, it gave her the inspiration to write the book. The next few pages you are about to read will tell you briefly of the tricks that has been played on her, and why she as every reason to suspect losing her site is nothing short of a Dick Turpin style robbery.
So after the many obstacle’s had been put in her way, you can now read the time-line of the catalogue on disasters for yourself, regarding plans, and the genuine, but frustrated developers that came along to purchase the site, but was discouraged by the very people that are now ready to legally grab her burnt out site.
Number One1997, An idea came to me to put ten apartments over my shops, yard, beauty salon, gym, and the wine bar. This scheme would have involved buying the council land that runs at the back of my buildings, and I had a lease on. After being promised I would be able to purchase this land if I got plans drawn up, and passed, I did, but then the council decided not to sell the land to me after all.
Number Two 1998. I was told if I changed the plans to a hotel, it would increase my chances of securing their land, so once again I did, then the council changed their minds once more.
After getting a letter from my insurance agents about their concern regarding the two top floors over my wine bar, a structural surveyors report was requested from them before my next annual payment was due.
On reading the report that explained the dangerous condition the top floors of the building was in, it had to be left out of the insurance policy.
So the next plan of action I considered very urgent.
Number Three February 2001. I paid for another set of plans to be drawn up, and passed, this was for just one apartment over my wine bar, a meeting was arranged with twelve members of the council and an architect, this urgent meeting was about taking down the two dangerous top floors, but this request was flatly refused. All of these three sets of plans that had been drawn up and passed would have involved demolishing the two top floors of the dangerous building.
Number Four 2002. My lease on the council land that my business heavily relied on was due to expire in 2004, but I was only allowed to renew for two years, plans for this area had been mentioned and it included the land in question they said. But within months of this lame excuse being made to me, the land was promised to a Mr --------, for the sum of 70.000.
Number Five 2003. After I complained, a promise by letter was sent to my solicitor, and I was promised on this letter, that if I put in more detailed plans, including on them the council land, get them passed, I could secure the land. I had no choice other than to do this. So after running down my gym memberships, and make all the staff redundant, my very healthy and profitable business closed down.
Number Six November 2004. The more comprehensive scheme that the council now required was Drawn up, and passed, this included 39 apartments, 30 underground car spaces, and the original retail that was there previously.
Number Seven Feb 2005 was when the arson attack on my buildings happened, and all my rental income went up in smoke with it. On top of all this trauma and unknown to me at that time, members of this council, behind my back, were selling the piece of land that I had just got plans passed for a development, to a Mr --- at ---homes, and blocking me in with a complete new set of plans. This was done to make my site worth much less in money terms, and put me in a position to sell my buildings at well below the valuation price.
And a long running saga is now on its way.
Number Eight. My agents were sending developers in droves to buy the combined sites, but each one had to contact the Estates department to purchase the council land that was included on the plans. But due to the Councils Estates department now taking full control of selling both sites to the developers the agents are sending to them, friction is now erupting.
However, the council had decided to throw out my passed plans, and create a much bigger scheme to include the other adjoining owner. Never the less the Manchester company that had shown interest in my site, was quite willing to put in new plans to develop the much bigger scheme they now required, and this scheme inc. 121 apartments, 25.500.sq.ft of retail plus underground parking. But these plans were also thrown out.
TOO BIG they were told by the very people that threw out my plans because they were nor big enough. So he walked away.
Number Nine 2006. A Bradford Company also put in new plans for a bigger scheme. We even got as far as contracts being drawn up between myself, the other adjoining owner, and the company, (but not the Council yet). This resulted in nothing but heated arguments between the people at the council, and the new investors. This company walked away after two years, and the reason was confirmed by their solicitors in a letter which said that the council land could not be obtained.
Number Ten 2007. One more interested investor, and the council land went up from 100-000. Thousand pounds to 400.000 pounds overnight, so he also walked away.
Number Eleven 2008. A big house building company, the councils favourite put in plans but a meagre sum was offered to me.( I would like to know what was offered to the council for their land , as it was at this time I was told by an email that the council land was worth much more than mine, but every other interested developer seemed to disagree with them.)The agents refused this paltry offer.
In the very same week that this offer came in, so did a pressurizing letter from the then Town Manager. This letter was threatening me with all the many things they would do if I did not clear up the burnt out site, and get it developed.
Numbers Twelve, and Thirteen, both of these development companies sent letters of interest and these were passed on to the Estates department and came to no fruition at all.
Number Fourteen 2008. Coming into the credit crunch and this company made a very good offer to both myself, and the other adjoining owner, this offer was passed on to the Council from the Companies Solicitor, and not to the agents, and the council turned it down on our behalf. I found out about this when I was sent both the offer from them, and the refusal letter from the council.
The council at this moment in time have just decided to take me to court. Someone as noticed at long last that the two top floors of the dangerous buildings, have to be pulled down. I got estimates from 19.000 to 24.000 thousand pounds, but the council sent me invoices for 67.500 thousand pounds, and I am not in any position now to pay it.
My solicitor asked if they would clear the whole site, but that request was ignored.
Number Fifteen 2008 / 2009. My agents sent very interested London Hoteliers to meet the town manager and councils agents, and even brought plans already drawn up along to the meeting, but it was not to be.
November2009. My plans are due to expire and I was refused the right to renew them. Two weeks later I received an email from the then town manager asking me to get an independent valuation on my now plan-less site, and they will give me what the valuation comes up with. But I flatly refused.
October 21st 2010. A very serious enquiry arrived by email to me regarding buying my site, in sheer desperation now for a quick sale, an idea came into my head. So my final contact with the Council Estates Department was sent by a registered letter. I was asking them if they would release their land to this interested developer, I would wait until the apartments are built before I took my investment out. And that letter never even got a reply. Then I asked the new town manager and head of planning if they would put the expired plans back in, and take off the council land it would be so much easier to sell the site, and I would pay them the money they insist I owe them.
This request was also ignored.
October 2011. This council as plastered invoices with my name and address on and the money they still say I owe them, these were all over my burnt out buildings.
I have been given three months to come up with this money, as they have put a charge on my site. And the buildings that were worth a million pounds a few years earlier, will no doubt finish up belonging to this council or some person that they are in negotiations with, ready for the big pounce. Below is a breakdown showing just what it has cost the taxpayers, and what I have lost getting to this stage.
I paid the Inland Revenue, tax on approximately 50.000 pounds per annum on my rental income.
Then just over, or just under One million pounds was offered to me by nine genuine investors for my site.
I was informed by my accountant at the time I was so close to selling in 2007, that my capital gains tax would be somewhere in the region of 100.000 pounds.
Seven years business rates have been lost on my gym, beauty salon, and shops between the years 2004 and 2011.
Between 100 000 and 600 000 pounds, for the un-mowed piece of council grass that was offered to a developer in 2003, for 70.000 pounds.
Then closing down my very healthy business, and all the staff redundancies need to be taken into consideration.
Altogether I have paid out in planning fees, architects drawings etc. the sum of 55. 000 pounds.
Even with each set of plans passed and stamped up, I have been refused the right to follow any of them through.
And this council has the audacity to steal the site that I have, at their request, spent all this money on.
I don’t need to tell you how much council tax as been lost on 121 apartments, and you certainly don’t need a degree in economics to work that one out, and just how many jobs would have been created with extra revenue for local shops.
But for the sake of the scheming devious trickery played by council employees, this eyesore, and litter strewn piece of council land is still undeveloped, (see below).
My book titled (Stuck in reverse) is in all the major shops from the 10th January 2012, inc. Amazon, and the famous Waterstones in Gower street London. Priced at 15.95.