People in Andover could be eating in the Guildhall's new restaurant within a couple of months.
Zippers was, on Monday night, announced as the company set to move into the town's iconic High Street building.
They've only got one other restaurant which recently opened in Chatham Quay in Kent and serves a range of food from pizzas and pasta to burgers and fish. The company is run by the Richoux Group. Click here to view the Zippers menu for their restaurant in Kent.
Councillor Ian Carr is the Leader of Test Valley Borough Council and believes it's good news: "I think we need a good family-orientated restaurant and we certainly need something to bring to life the centre of the town. The Guildhall is ideally placed for that and the restaurant will offer something for everybody so I think it will be ideal.
"The Richoux Group has been established for over 100 years and is famous for it's prestigious London restaurants."
Andover Sound revealed on Friday that Prezzo had pulled out of plans to move in after three years of waiting. In June 2007 the council accepted an offer from the Italian chain to take over the Lower Guildhall following a review by a member panel of councillors and heads of service at Test Valley: "We have worked hard with Prezzo to conclude our negotiations," said Councillor Carr, "but unfortunately have not been able to reach a final agreement."
"During our discussions, a major shareholder in Prezzo advised us that he was also involved in a newly-launched restaurant brand with the Richoux Group. As he had highlighted the original potential of a restaurant in the Lower Guildhall, he now proposed this new brand as an alternative option.
"I am pleased to say that all the preparatory work has not been wasted and we are in a good position to see this project move ahead quickly."
Click play to listen to Ben McGrail's full interview with Councillor Carr.
Councillor Len Gates leads the opposing Liberal Democrat party in the Test Valley. He was originally against the idea of turning the Guildhall into a restaurant: "As Ian Carr has said, it's Prezzo in all but name.
"I wasn't happy with the original decision but it was a democratic decision. The new proposals - it's better to have something down there than have the building standing empty as it is at the moment and costing the council money."
The original decision caused anger amongst many in the town who felt the building should remain for community use. Charities and community groups had previously been able to use the Lower Guildhall for events and meetings. However they were moved into a new unit in Union Street once the decision had been made.
A campaign group was set up (Save The Andover Guildhall) to oppose the plans and propose their own offer to take over the building. They have now questioned the legality of this latest decision and have consulted legal action.
What do you think about the decision? Are you pleased with the sort of restaurant going into the Guildhall? Leave your comments below.
Click below to hear more..
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Comments
Manuela of High street Andover says:
00:09 on Tuesday 3rd May 2011
"it was very nice to be able to view the town from Zippers whilst eating al fresco... the best beefbuger meal in town .... and beautifully presented ..excellent service, I ordered it before I left home by the time I got there it was ready to be served to us ...I think having Zippers in our town adds to the beauty of our high street especially after dark when it is all lit up..."
Di of Andover says:
23:50 on Tuesday 21st December 2010
"Just got home after having spent a wonderful evening at Zippers. What "EXCELLENT" service and "top class" nosh! I really enjoyed it. There were 5 of us, all ladies, and we had a really great night. First class. Thank you Zippers for looking after us so perfectly."
Manuela of Andover says:
08:11 on Saturday 20th November 2010
"Nice to see on one of the biggest nights on Andovers Calender, Zippers, The guildhall restaurant, was as busy as the other restaurants in our town."
Deb of Andover says:
22:33 on Saturday 11th September 2010
"Took my Mum and Dad for meal at Zippers it has been opened for nearly a week, the meal was excellent and so was the service. Very busy and the staff worked very well, so glad that the guildhall is being used and not left empty, well done Zippers its nice to have an italian restaurant back in Andover. "
Sue S of Andover says:
20:23 on Tuesday 25th May 2010
"Well where is it then? I work in the town centre and have seen no sign of any work etc going on in the Guildhall. Will the elves be moving in overnight and hey presto all done by the next day? Contracts were supposed to be signed towards the end of April but all has been very quiet since. I for one believe this is all a bad move and would love to see charities using it for lunches and craft sales etc. Having looked at the Zippers website we'd all get a better deal from the likes of Jenny's and Boswells. Come on Andover vote with your feet and walk into the Chantry Centre for your lunches. I do hope that the new Andover Town Council will have more sense on the future of the town than the Borough Council has, although this is unlikely as no doubt the Tories will win most seats so the only winner will be hypocracy. Didn't want a Town Council so will do its utmost to win and then wreck it and say "Well this is what the public wanted!!! Wake up Andover and vote for candidates who really want a town council and not those who want to turn it into a dog with no teeth"
Anon of Andover says:
11:41 on Saturday 8th May 2010
"Barbara, i for one will not be boycotting this new restaurant, i will be blissfully enjoying a lovely slap up meal in the Guildhall, rather than seeing it being wasted day in day out. It was only used 17 hours a WEEK previously, that's a disgrace. Roll on Zippers"
Barbara of Andover says:
08:09 on Wednesday 5th May 2010
"I think the Andover people should boycott this so called restaurant we have enough here."
A of andover says:
16:06 on Wednesday 17th March 2010
"Robin Toates - No problem lmao :D"
Robin Toates of Luggershall says:
13:14 on Tuesday 16th March 2010
"@ A andover. I sumtimes am on the doll i do temp work nd thers not allways work but my mum nd dad eet out alot nd i go wiv them its nise 2 eat out as a famly i aint got no bros or sis nd i lick it tht way so they spend mre on me. fanx 4 your consurn"
A of andover says:
15:29 on Monday 15th March 2010
"Robin Toates - how can you always eat out if you saying you live off dole money? make your mind up!!"
Carol of Andover says:
14:24 on Thursday 4th March 2010
"Andover is slowly turning into a compact version of Basingstoke.
It used to be a " market town", hardly any stalls turn up to sell their products anymore,maybe because Tesco has rapidly spread into most areas and sell similar items cheaper, aswell as delivering to your door.
All the historic buildings have either been ripped apart and transformed into a more " modern" style,look at the library for an example.
Andover is fine for people who wish to drink coffee whilst deciding on which betting shop to go into. I have lived here since 1976 and I cannot wait to go and visit other towns where they are proud of their heritage and utilise the buildings old and new...
"
Graham of Andover says:
14:14 on Wednesday 3rd March 2010
"Two comments I would like to make:
Firstly that signage is going to look great on a classical Georgian building, and secondly having looked at the menu it appears to be no more than a posh MaccieD's.
£2.50 for a glass of coke !!
£3.50 for a glass of house white !!
£5.95 for a bowl of Sphagetti !!
Come on be serious, we have enough restaurants of this calibre in the town now, do we really need another, this is all about Test Valley council making decisions for the benefit of the council, not for the town.
I'll give it 12 months"
Michael of Andover says:
10:23 on Wednesday 3rd March 2010
"I agree with some of the comments that there are people in this town (and outside it) that are standing in the way of progression and development for the wrong reasons. After all the council has to do what's best for the majority and not the minority, they have a responsibility to make the most of their assets, keep within their budgets and making money where they can (which benefits us as tax payers also!). So getting someone in who is going to bring revenue into the town and pay rent is a good thing. Those of you who think that it would be better used for other social community use I think need to sell your ideas better by breaking down the financial benefits to any proposals before people will listen, after all you are talking about something that impacts us all! I have to smile at the comment about using it to get kids off the streets and tackle ASB, I think that is a dream, kids hanging around is a fact of life that is here to stay until we all as a nation start taking responsibility for the development of our kids as to what is acceptable and what isn't, however kids hang around in every town and in every country and the majority of them are just socialising and should be allowed to do so. It is a very small minority that cause the problems and they are the ones who need to be tackled which I would suggest is all our responsibilities, though the enforcement is an effective policing strategy which can't be too difficult with a police station located 150metres from the centre of town."
nicky tamser of charlton says:
13:56 on Tuesday 2nd March 2010
"i also agree that the guild hall should not stay the way it has been,if any place is open for only 17 hours a week,then it is a pointless waste of time,if andover historians want to keep things the way they are,and don't like change,then go to the graveyard,that will always stay the same,and no-one will want to turn the graveyard into a restaurant"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
13:39 on Tuesday 2nd March 2010
"i would also like to see the guild hall turned into a youth entertainment centre as we have nowhere for the teenagers of andover to enjoy themselves apart from the cinema,and not everyone likes being sat in a seat for 3 hours to watch films"
Anon of Andover says:
11:24 on Tuesday 2nd March 2010
"*stand his ground"
Anon of Andover says:
11:21 on Tuesday 2nd March 2010
"I've not long heard Mr Carr stand his groud on Andover sound and i applaud him. I never voted his party in, but he's got my attention with regards to the refurbishment of the Guildhall. I didn't know the building was used for SEVENTEEN hours a week ONLY, what a disgrace. No wonder they want to change the ground floor into something that will be used more than SEVENTEEN hours a week. What really gets my goat is the protesters who think a measly 6,000 people who signed the petition for it to remain as it is, what? Do all these names on this petition actually live in Andover, or is it allowed just for this occasion(and for the megashed, and for the Asda complex) for these people to voice their opinion on a town they don't live in? I really don't get it. One, when someone from outside Andover(being surrounding villages) expresses an opinion, it is immidiately shot down by certain pompous no-gooders of this town, but it's ok to have their say on a petition that is wanting a building to sit there unused for thousands of hours a year? Two, the petition is a FRACTION of this towns population. I for one, now want this restaurant to open up as soon as possible. I for one also think there are far too many trouble makers in this town and we are in the position we are because of them. I hope this spoils your plans and the likes of Mr Carr continues to try make this town progress. Kudo's for him and a swift two fingered salute to the pompous green welly brigade of Andover"
Richard of Charlton says:
20:43 on Monday 1st March 2010
"It does seem to me that giving a license to a restaurant is nothing more than a short term gimmick by the council aimed at trying to make everyone believe things for the town are on the up.
The question to ask ourselves and I mean us not the council, they are there to serve us not decide our lives for us is What do we want Andover to be famous for.
As a community we need to develop something which makes us stand out form the other towns around. Let us think about what the other towns are not doing and do that. Trying to compete head on with the other towns is not going to work as they are already a long way ahead.
We need to take a radical approach if we are to attract trade and employment and we need to take that approach right now. As a community I am sure we could come up with loads of ideas, the only challenge then is to figure out how and that is the easy bit believe me I have been doing it in business for years."
Richie Madisun of Andover says:
14:20 on Monday 1st March 2010
"Nicky, If Jenny's is the closest thing you get to quality dining in Andover, that literally is the pinnacle of why the town suffering and to add to the fact ( although far be it from the subject in hand and totally irrelevant ) that you voted BNP in the last election is truly saddening."
Robin Toates of Luggershall says:
13:04 on Monday 1st March 2010
"hay ther nicky i dnt no y u mension the circis cuz it aint got nufing 2 do wiv this subgect best kep 2 the storie. r u in favor of zippos comin 2 twn ? i am cuz i lick the sownd of it"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
10:23 on Monday 1st March 2010
"robin,i have also looked on zippo's website and the sites were about circus's not restuarant's"
Robin Toates of Luggershall says:
07:41 on Monday 1st March 2010
"Wot the problim is that 2 many peeple put down zippos nd not no wot its bout. i cheked ther websiht nd it int 2 bad yeh ok prises r a bit mutch 4 sum food isnt that wot a classe restrant chargis ? i shuld no cuz i always go out nd eet. Fing is the giuld hall neds changin alot its scware grey nd luks boring. Paiynt in green or yella or mayb even blu nd u watch the peeple cum owt 2 use it. the histry int that old anywy. i will lik zippos lets enjoy dis ocaysion nd welcom it 2 are town"
Sam of Andover says:
06:32 on Monday 1st March 2010
"I think you are talking out of your backside, Vince of Andover. Try telling the Farmer's market that the town is a ghost town on a Sunday. It's absolutely heaving. "
Anon of Andover says:
19:07 on Sunday 28th February 2010
"Nicky, try the kiddies meal, it would suit you more. £2.95, bargain for you"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
16:07 on Sunday 28th February 2010
"anon,at the last election i voted for the bnp instead of the lib dems,honestly i don't know my left from my right"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
15:39 on Sunday 28th February 2010
"had a lovely meal in jenny's today,still had change left from a fiver,that won't happen in zippers"
Anon of Andover says:
12:25 on Sunday 28th February 2010
"Vince, that just shows your pure ingnorance if you think Zippers is just a 'tacky burger joint'. It also shows your lack of knowledge of the place. Is that your reasoning why Andover is a ghost town, because basically, it is pedestrianised? Seriously??? I tell you part of the reason this town has gone back instead of foward, because this town doesnt like progression because of fickle green welly wearers like yourself, thats why. The town is/was modernising and whingers like yourself go against the grain and progression stalls. The town needs change, when change is about to happen, we as a town have to put up with protests and a right negative ignorant attitutde appears, like yours is now with the modernisation of the Guildhall. Why dont you go live in another country far far away, like Turkey for instance, where they're 50+ years behind the western modern world. So, now the reason why this town has not gone foward, is because of the pedestrianisation!!!! I've seriously heard it all now. Now i know not to vote Liberal Democrats in the upcoming elections. Thanks!"
Vince of Andover says:
12:32 on Saturday 27th February 2010
"once upon a time Andover was a bustling market town, where getting from the top of the high street to the bottom on market day was a fight through the crowds of people. then someone decided that we ought to be like other towns and have our high street paved and pedestrianized. away went the market and the crowds it drew. the rest of the shops lost business and then one by one they have closed. thats why no one comes to Andover, thats why it is a ghost town. now they want to turn one of the most historic buildings in the town into a tacky burger joint because they havent looked hard enough to find good places to eat around the town and there are plenty of them. Why do we want to be like other towns. ANDOVER AND PROUD. not other town clone."
nicky tamser of charlton says:
07:24 on Friday 26th February 2010
"anon,if we didnt have any empty shops where would we put the christmas shops at the end of the year?...seriously though i have family up in london so go there regulary and some places up in london resemble a third world country,we do not need tacky department stores like primark or bhs as we can get cheap clothes from the big supermarkets,what we need is an armani or a gucci where i would gladly pay top price for a handbag,we also dont need a zippers where we have burgers,fish,and pizzas etc,at fine dining prices what we need is a fine dining restaurant like marco pierre white's"
Anon of Andover says:
17:19 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Nicky, with regards to bigger towns and cities, please tell me where there are boarded up shops or empty shops in the centre of these bigger towns and cities? Also, could you please tell me, are these towns and city centres also filled with mostly phone shops, betting shops, take away outlets, card shops, coffee shops and NO department stores? If you really push yourself and think a little harder, don't these bigger cities and towns attract people from their surrounding areas and also attract tourists? I've lived in Andover since the 80's and i find this town as usful as a chocolate kettle"
Doug of Andover says:
16:37 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"How will all there suppliers delv before 10?
Where will they store keep their rubbish?
If in bins, where will they be?
Will it need and extract system for the kitchen?
If so what will it look like?
Does it need planning?
What about the cooking smells?"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
15:39 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"as this is a talking point about the new zippers opening inside the guild hall,it is very overpriced,they should knock the guild hall down and build an indoor market down the centre of the high street,with a variety of places to buy clothes"
nicky tamser of charlton says:
15:16 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"no disrespect richie,but saying i'm wrong comparing andover to those villages,but praising anon for their post comparing andover to cities salisbury,southampton and reading is not??? it's not just andover that is becoming a ghost town with empty shops and factories,in case no one knows we have just come out of a recession,i'm just saying andover isn't is bad as the media have made it out to be.ANDOVER AND PROUD AND ENGLISH AND PROUD,now i suppose we will be comparing england to the usa and china"
Richie Madisun of Andover says:
14:18 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Nicky, in regards to your earlier post "i would also like to add,that i would rather live in andover than towns like stockbridge,vernham dean and barton stacey in the middle of nowhere.......ANDOVER AND PROUD ".. are you serious?? you cant compare them, the reason and I quote they are "in the middle of nowhere" is because their Villages. you may of heard of them, they tend to be smaller than a town but bigger than a hamlet ! And I would be proud of Andover as a place but there isn't anything in the town to be proud of. However I am very proud of some of the scenes that reside in Andover and indeed some of the people that keep them scenes alive despite the gloomy shadow that the town casts."
nicky tamser of charlton says:
13:38 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"£3.99 for a large breakfast in wetherspoons,how much for the same in zippers? £8.10 for fish and chips,are they famous fish?"
Robin Toates of Luggershall says:
13:30 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Your all macking dis hard. sum of u r macking dis a mowntin out of a rat hill. We hav our tescoes asders nd sainsbrys wot r all gud 2 hav nd ther not bad 4 havin a fry up, it only cost 1.99 nd well worf it. Wot we ned hear is a gud classe restrant lick zippos. i lick the sownd of it nd no i aint been 2 a zippos b4 any1 seys so lol innit beta than nufin ? "
nicky tamser of charlton says:
12:49 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"i would also like to add,that i would rather live in andover than towns like stockbridge,vernham dean and barton stacey in the middle of nowhere.......ANDOVER AND PROUD "
nicky tamser of charlton says:
12:23 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"why do people still go on about the bandstand? i have lived in andover since the 70's,and i have known it as an avery,so how long has the bandstand been gone for?there are a lot worse towns than andover that has hardly any shops,at least we have main supermarkets like tesco's and asda's,and we have good access to town with public transport"
Anon of Andover says:
10:34 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"May i add Vince, that there are several hotels and B+B's around Buckingham Palace just for tourism alone, your point is pointless and very confusing to say the least. "
Anon of Andover says:
10:26 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Vince, would you please explain your reply, as i haven't the foggiest what you're on about. I don't even know why you're comparing a district in London, to a so-called market town in north Hampshire? London has everything, we have nothing. What's your point? London has many many tourist attractions and attracts millions of people per year, we have nothing and attract nobody. Even a neutral BBC show couldn't spot anything good about Andover, it just showed all the empty shops and warehouses and simply implied that Andover has NOTHING. Says it all. Are you Vince McGarry the Andover Liberal Democrat councillor by the way? "
Vince of Andover says:
09:49 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"really easy to say when your anon, i wonder how long it would be if you lived in London before you wanted to open Buckingham Palace Hotel ??? "
Anon of Andover says:
06:16 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Vince, i think you're missing the point entirely, again. It is the numpties who voted this lot in that should take part of the balme for all the decision making our elected MP's have made. But, and it's a big but, when decisions are made that could be good for Andover, you get the numpties who then set up a campaign against CHANGE for Andover. Also, in your little list of things("first our cenotaph, then the high street and market, then the Guildhall, Bandstand, benches and disabled parking bays") are they really helpful to making Andover prosperous? No. Are they going to attract people to the town? No. In hindsight, the numpties include the people of this town who DON'T like change and have nothing better to do in their spare time. This town has major problems, we need people who are willing to allow the town to change and we need people who have the balls to make decisions that will help the town prosper. Arguing about benches, parking spaces etc REALLY is desperate "
Rob of Waterloo Place says:
00:17 on Thursday 25th February 2010
"Firstly may I say I have no problem with the Guildhall becoming a restaurant, but
It does seem a little strange that when Prezzo pull out it is apparently offered to Zippers via a shareholder in both companies. Should not a prestigeous location be offered to a wider selection of companies, perhaps it was but it does not look that way.
Also I understand the rent to be in the region of £32K p/a. A boring unit in the Chantry Centre i.e Adams would cost more around £39k. Surely the prime location in Andover is more valuable than a unit in a shopping mall.
Perhaps I am just cynical"
anon of hants says:
21:15 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"4.10 for a bowl of soup they having a laugh lol"
Vince of Andover says:
20:26 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"Andover Town. RIP - first our cenotaph, then the high street and market, then the Guildhall, Bandstand, benches and disabled parking bays. Our council give us what they want and not what we want, and it the numpties that vote them in and the numpties that dont vote who are to blame. everyone keeps moaning about it, may 2011 use your vote and get this bunch of muppets out of power. "
Franki of Andover says:
17:15 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"although have to say andover could do with something else to bring people here."
Franki of Andover says:
17:13 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"what a simple waste of money! Too expensive for andover... especially where we now have a poundland... andover is cheap and poundland just sums that up. dont think zippers will be staying long with the money it wont make."
Richie Madisun of Andover says:
15:36 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"Anon, you hit the nail on the head. :) "
Anon of Andover says:
15:29 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"Richie, i couldn't agree more. Where are these so-called other decent restaurants??? I watched the programme 'inside out' on BBC Monday night, the 10 minute stint on Andover summed it all up! The programme showed that the town has nothing worthy of mentioning. This town is doomed. I love the fact i travel to Basingstoke, Salisbury, Newbury, Southampton, Reading and Swindon and see how these towns and cities have developed over time, then look at Andover and i literally laugh my mammory glands off. Andover=Useless. Andover=Nothing. Andover=Doomed. The town is run by numpties, then you have the numpties who do not like change happening to the town. The only decent thing Andover has is the Asda/Reel complex. And please, before we have some clever clogs trying to correct me saying that Andover is a market town, it isn't! It's a town with over 60k people who go elsewhere to shop/eat because this town has nothing! (awaits the comments 'then why don't you move out of Andover')"
Richie Madisun of Andover says:
14:53 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"Oh and in regards to people comments that Andover has enough quality restaurants can you please please tell me where they are because the majority of food outlets in the town ARE sub-par. Honestly, some of them are just shocking."
Richie Madisun of Andover says:
14:44 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"In all fairness, when was the last time many of us actually used The Guildhall?? The local Council put a stop to holding live music there many years ago so I for one haven't. In many ways I agree with a lot of the comments that a restaurant maybe not be an ideal option but surely it has to be something otherwise its just a square block in the high street being paid for by us and with no return for the majority of the town. Personally I cant see why a restaurant would want to be there anyway. If you sat outside on a nice summers day the only view you'd have is one of disabled parking spaces, The Weatherspoons regulars, Poundland and people nearly being taken out on the semi pedestrianised high street ( how the hell can something be semi pedestrianised anyway ??? ). Its not a great option but at least its not yet another Chinese or Indian restaurant. I'd like to petition for a Seafood or Steakhouse style restaurant if anything ! "
SK of ANDOVER says:
14:28 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"How can it be good for Andover to loose one of its publicly owned historical buildings. Who ever is on the so called committee certainly does not have the intersts of Andover at heart. Let me just say that when they kicked the WI out of the Guildhall they could have at least given them shelter but allowing them to put their stalls up in the precinct. Give us the Guildhall back!! "
Anon of Andover says:
13:53 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"Looking foward to looking out of the Guildhall window, on my lunch hour, whilst eating my fish and chips watching the world go by, wondering what could have been. Times change, move on people, welcome to the year 2010! "
Colin Andrews of Andover says:
11:27 on Wednesday 24th February 2010
"I certainly will not be paying between £7 and £9 for a burger or £8 plus for fish and chips. There are plenty of good value eating places in and around Andover without another resturant spoiling a historic building and which will probally not last anyway."
Martin of Andover says:
14:54 on Tuesday 23rd February 2010
"Although a new restaurant for Andover is a positive thing, am I not right in saying that the proposed theatre plaza development sanctioned by TVBC has plans for several food outlets/restaurants? This is a case of bad planning. The Guildhall is a historic building dedicated to the community of Andover and for use by the community, it should have been saved for its original use and budgets should have been found elsewhere to keep it going. I'm sorry but I feel Test Valley Borough Council do not have the moral high ground here, they have let the people of Andover down in a pure case of greed and finances over the community. Wrong, wrong, wrong.....!"
Trevor Mitchell of Anna Valley says:
13:06 on Tuesday 23rd February 2010
"Once again our councillors have shown a complete lack of vision when it comes to Andover town centre.
Yet another eating place, well I suppose its better than another coffee outlet, bar or bookies. But surely with a bit more thought a lovely building could have been put to a better use and earned TVBC money."
Robin Toates of Luggershall says:
06:31 on Tuesday 23rd February 2010
"Grate! this is a gud idea 4 the town n 4 the peeps of andoover. I will lick it ther and wil use it most wek days I hope it stays 4 whn i hav kids so i can taik them 4 a meel ther much betta ther than macdonnalds. Cnt w8 "
DT of Charlton says:
04:28 on Tuesday 23rd February 2010
""Zippers"....great name eh?...obviously no Flies on them.
As for installing them in the Guildhall...probably best left undone... "
SG of Andover says:
02:02 on Tuesday 23rd February 2010
"There are of course so many questions that remain unanswered in this whole charade, I'll just pull a few from the top of mind:
Has TVBC really followed due process?
How does one person, reportedly connected with Prezzo get their hands on a lease when there were previously other interested parties.
Is Zippers paying the same lease rate as Prezzo had agreed to pay?
If not, when will TVBC come clean on the revised revenue expectations that the new arrangement will bring to the coffers?
Who voted for this?
Lets get specifics here - the Special Committee apparently voted yes, so did the Cabinet. Stop hiding behind committees and organisations, give us specifics - who voted yes and who voted no.
Why is a small subset of the Council making decisions on one of the most important PUBLICLY owned buildings in the town and borough?
The decision to offer a lease to Prezzo was made by the full council. How does a small group of councilors suddenly get authority to do this?
Finally;
Has Clr. Carr asked himself if a company (Richoux Group) that LOST MONEY in their last interim financial results and who CLOSED one line of branded restaurants is really committed to (and financially stable enough for) a long term relationship?
To quote from the last Richoux Group plc interim results "The outlook for the Group remains challenging as it continues to try to build upon the success and profitability of its established core Richoux business. The disappointing performance of the most recent Richoux sites means the Group is not foreseeing further expansion of Richoux at present."
Come on Andover Sound - it's time to put some tough questions to Clr. Carr in your weekly interview. You can start with these, but I'm sure the good people of Andover can help with dozens more!"
JT of Andover says:
22:08 on Monday 22nd February 2010
"Once again TVBC insults the people of Andover. This time it has let its most prestigious historic building to an unknown fast food outlet. Is there any concept of quality amongst the members of TVBC? I can't see any."
Derek of Artists' Way says:
19:02 on Monday 22nd February 2010
"Unbelievable. First they evict the community from the lower Guildhall against massive public opinion, then they waste a huge sum of public money on a 'replacement' venue that is unsuitable for disabled or visually impaired people or as a music venue. Then they leave the lower Guildhall empty for more than a year with no revenue coming in, and now they want to hand the building to a pizza/pasta/burger chain that was never short-listed in the first place. I always thought that when you were in a hole the idea was to stop digging. TVBC is flying in the face of its own agreed procedure for the Guildhall if it offers a lease outside of that process. The only other expression of interest for the lower Guildhall left in consideration was for TVBC to work with the community to ensure that the lower Guildhall had a future as a community asset."
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