Jump to content

Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue


madcow
 Share

Recommended Posts

We only go there because there is nowhere else to go, if we had a propper club im pretty sure posers wouldnt be so full everyweekend, and maybe then they will do it up a bit

 

Okay, how would you 'do it up a bit'?

 

As far as I know the bar was completely renewed a couple of years ago with new seating and stools installed. The toilets, just to be clear, the 'mens' toilets serve their purpose really. The womens toilets are part of the hotel and I would assume kept to a decent standard. I just don't see where you can improve it.

 

Even when the LK Sound Factory and the old Country Club were on the go as nightclubs/music venues Posers was still doing a good trade.

 

I would say that out of all the hoteliers and publicans in Lerwick and indeed Shetland George Hepburn has spent probably a 7 figure sum on most of his establishments over the last 15-18 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too greedy thats why !

 

I agree with you, people still go there , but they have 0 competition , apart from the pubs and the odd dj gig here or there , there is nothing else to go to ,

 

I hear what you're saying but thats not the fault of the owner. Other people have tried and failed to do what Posers does over the years so I think credit where credits due. I don't think its greed, as above, he's done his bit to keep his establishments going but some people can't/won't see that they just look for the negatives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent article which barely scratches the surface of the potential benefits Mareel can bring to the local economy and community.

 

One thing the article immediately brings to mind is Cllr Robinsons suitability for responsible positions such as he has on the licencing board if he is using them to further a petty personal vendetta.

 

Let alone the question of the suitability of anyone to be sitting in the council chamber if they actively want such a substantial investment in the local economy to fail. Surely, if they have reservations, and if they genuinely want to serve their constituents and shetland, they should be working WITH those involved to address the problems they see and do everything they can to help eliminate them and make the investment a success..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent article which barely scratches the surface of the potential benefits Mareel can bring to the local economy and community.

 

One thing the article immediately brings to mind is Cllr Robinsons suitability for responsible positions such as he has on the licencing board if he is using them to further a petty personal vendetta.

 

Let alone the question of the suitability of anyone to be sitting in the council chamber if they actively want such a substantial investment in the local economy to fail. Surely, if they have reservations, and if they genuinely want to serve their constituents and shetland, they should be working WITH those involved to address the problems they see and do everything they can to help eliminate them and make the investment a success..

 

Completely agree, the time for any councilor to fight this was at the start. But once it was approved they should accept that it will go ahead and show a positive approach to it's future. This constant "hope it fails" vibe some give off, is childish to say the least!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My only issue with the article is the following:

Contrary to popular opinion, the building is on a fixed price contract so it cannot (unlike, say, the museum) go over budget.

As I have noted earlier, that is not true. Fixed price contracts are only fixed price if the client makes absolutely no changes to the design brief. As soon as any change is made, price adjustments have to be negotiated and agreed for each case. Very few building projects do not have changes, and "iconic" architecture is particularly likely to have many. Of course time will tell whether the contingency cash will cover such costs, but people should not be surprised by some wrangling in the coming months.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Malachy Tallack has written a brilliant editorial in the latest Shetland Life about the campaign against Mareel. He shows that that campaign is irrational if not insane from time to time.

 

My objections are/were;

 

1) that the business case was partly justified on what I believe were unrealistic earning projections from the cafe/bar given the losses seen across the local council run cafe's plus an optimistic bar earnings given the limited local market - if the earnings were optimistically 'massaged', public funding will be required to cover any shorfalls.

 

2) after many years of a North Ness industrial wasteland, much effort went into the planning and redesign for the area. Arriving in Lerwick on the Northlink the North Ness was really starting to give a good impression to arriving visitors - Mareel looks so out of place, and in my view has ruined the look that was trying to be achieved for the North Ness waterfront.

 

3) I did also object in the beginning to the capital funding from the council in the face of the growing local economic crisis, however, given the seeming enthusiasm for the project and the potential educational benefits, I'm probably sat on the fence on this now.

 

I'd like to think my objections aren't irrational or insane?

 

And if it does fail spectacularly, the Malakoff could always do with another covered slipway :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My only issue with the article is the following:
Contrary to popular opinion, the building is on a fixed price contract so it cannot (unlike, say, the museum) go over budget.

As I have noted earlier, that is not true. Fixed price contracts are only fixed price if the client makes absolutely no changes to the design brief. As soon as any change is made, price adjustments have to be negotiated and agreed for each case. Very few building projects do not have changes, and "iconic" architecture is particularly likely to have many. Of course time will tell whether the contingency cash will cover such costs, but people should not be surprised by some wrangling in the coming months.

 

Totally agree with that. I think it would be very naive of anyone to think this project won't go over budget especially with over 400 changes to the original spec already!

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Totally agree with that. I think it would be very naive of anyone to think this project won't go over budget especially with over 400 changes to the original spec already!

 

Cheers

 

Are all 400 changes to spec higher than the original specification?. A specification change can also mean a reduction in cost. In light of the more than sensitive nature of Mareel I imagine the project team are more than aware that they have tight purse strings and may have to sacrifice certain things to achieve a completion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where can you find inforamtion on these changes?

 

You won't find that written anywhere on the net thats for sure, they won't broadcast it.

 

 

Totally agree with that. I think it would be very naive of anyone to think this project won't go over budget especially with over 400 changes to the original spec already!

 

Cheers

 

Are all 400 changes to spec higher than the original specification?. A specification change can also mean a reduction in cost. In light of the more than sensitive nature of Mareel I imagine the project team are more than aware that they have tight purse strings and may have to sacrifice certain things to achieve a completion.

 

I didn't ask details but thats a relatively good point but I would imagine with the quantity of changes made there will be a percentage that will cost more money. Its not often on a project this size that changes are made which will not affect the build cost adversly.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...