Twisted Wheel

[Mickjay33]

just got an email from the wheel please read

AMENDED MAIL WITH CORRECTIONS

Dear Wheel Fan

The Planning Committee meeting which could vote to demolish the Twisted Wheel Club meets on the 28th June. This could be our last chance to save the Wheel.

During publicity for the new Hotel plan, the Developers, Olympian, said they WOULD consider keeping the cellars containing the Wheel as part of the new building.

THEY NOW APPEAR TO HAVE DROPPED THAT PLAN.

We therefore need to ask, in as bigger numbers as possible, that this promise IS contained in the plan, and that the new building does NOT involve destroying the cellars....

I would there ask you to please email the following people:

John Kelsey (the Case Officer at Manchester Council - j.kelsey@manchester.gov.uk

And the members of the Planning Committee:

cllr.a.kamal@manchester.gov.uk cllr.a.ahmed@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.a.fender@manchester.gov.uk cllr.b.curley@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.d.ellison@manchester.gov.uk cllr.h.lyons@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.j.flanagan@manchester.gov.uk members.services.office@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.m.watson@manchester.gov.uk cllr.m.loughman@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.n.ali@manchester.gov..uk cllr.n.siddiqi@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.n.lewis@manchester.gov.uk cllr.p.andrews@manchester.gov.uk

cllr.shaukat.ali@manchester.gov.uk

Feel free to compose a letter yourself, or please use the one below, which you can copy & paste into a new email:

To the Planning Committee

Re: Metro One Hotel Development on London Road/Whitworth Street 099250/FO/2012/C2

As the Committee will, no doubt, be aware, there have been requests from all over the world to save the cellars containing the Twisted Wheel Club.

Soon after the initial announcement of the planned development, a spokesperson for the Developers stated that they WOULD consider retaining the cellars as part of the new building.

However, the plan as published does not now seem to include this detail.

I therefore wish to request - on behalf of all the supporters of the Twisted Wheel, and the many thousands of people who have visited this city, purely to visit the Twisted Wheel Club - that the plans must include protection for the cellars under numbers 4 & 6 Whitworth Street.

If the Developers' include this protection in their building, then ALL parties will benefit. The development can be built, the amenities of the area improved, and indeed, the Hotel will benefit from increased Weekend bookings from visitors to the Twisted Wheel.

In view of the oversupply of Hotel Rooms in the area (at least 10 Hotels within a quarter of a mile of the proposed development with an average 65 spare rooms during the week and far more at weekends) the continued existence of the Twisted Wheel club can only help the profitability of the hotel

At the same time, the historical musical heritage of Manchester can be preserved for present and future generations, and the revenue streams for the city generated by the visitors to the Twisted Wheel can continue.

The submitted plans show that NO USE is intended for the area occupied by the cellars - it will simply be a void, and that a suitable ground floor entrance to the cellars could be incorporated into the planned Fire Escape design. This is an opportunity which must be seized before it is too late.

Recently, in London, there was a successful campaign to save a similar venue, The 100 Club, from demolition.

Ken Livingstone, the Labour Party Candidate for Lord Mayor of London, supported that campaign.

This is what Mr Livingstone said :

"One after another these clubs are being squeezed out of central London and I think we should change the planning law so where you've got an existing club there's a presumption it is preserved rather than as soon as you can close it and bung up a luxury block of flats or offices you get rid of it."

The campaign also pointed out that the 100 Club, JUST LIKE THE TWISTED WHEEL, treated Black musicians as equals, at a time when this did not happen in their home countries.

I ask that the Councillors of Manchester adopt a similar approach to the musical and racial heritage of the city of Manchester

Yours sincerely

Please support this campaign. If you only have time to send one email, send it to John Kelsey. But if you can send to each of the Councillors, that would certainly help to get this message across.

Thankyou to everyone who helps with this.

Let's Save The Wheel

www.twistedwheelclub.com