Clive Bleasdale
Remember Eric's?
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on October 8, 2008 9:31 AM
AS THE 2008 Culture Year progresses towards its close I took myself to the Everyman this week to see an excellent play based around the era of the club Eric's in Matthew Street which I frequented in my 'teens (along with the Everyman.)
An excellent production with an ageless plot and those who have been or intend to go will relate easily to it.
Eric's has become the talk of legend in some ways, but there is no doubt it formed the nucleus for some key bands of recent decades and played a significant part in peoples lives at its time.
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Cities Unlimited - an accurate review?
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on August 14, 2008 2:26 PM
As a Property Lawyer specialising in concluding legal documentation in order to make urban regeneration work, I have considered with interest the latest report entitled "Cities Unlimited" dealing with the question of urban regeneration.
Whilst conscious that as a Liverpool Property Lawyer, I will be seen as having a vested interest in making supportive comments in favour of Liverpool and the City Region, I do have the following observations:-
• It strikes me that the heritage of Liverpool is its unique selling point. From its prosperous origins as a thriving port, the City has an abundance of history, particularly reflected in its buildings which have withstood the tests of time and economic conditions. The thriving tourist economy in Liverpool is evidence of that and this must be a growing selling point for the Region, supported by the Capital of Culture status.
• The quality of life the City Region can offer now, in view of the significant rebuilding and regeneration that has occurred as reflected by the huge investment in Liverpool by Grosvenor and the resurgence of the Albert Dock supported by the new Arena make the City an extremely attractive place to work and now also to live.
• There is an inherent quality in the entrepreneurial spirit of Liverpool, which was doubtless founded in the days when the shipping trade was flourishing but which is now reflected in the diverse number of businesses that succeed from a Liverpool base, from insurance monies through to financial institutions, property developers and businesses, as well as new technology businesses.
• There is a strong case to ensure that our key cities do thrive. We need to make an effort to maintain an equilibrium within the Country with regard to commercial centres, rather than an imbalance between South and North. Manchester has made great strides in recent times towards its regeneration and Liverpool is fast following in its footsteps.
• As well as the efforts of the City Council other Local Authorities within the Region, are making strong attempts to make the Region an attractive place to live and work in and my firm as a major employer in Liverpool is finding that it is increasingly easy to attract talented Lawyers to the Region for these reasons.
• It is not a case in my view of looking at matters through "rose tinted spectacles". There is an inherent realism here in Liverpool and our political scene is far more middle ground these days, in terms of convincing businesses that we have a stable and vibrant city in which to work and prosper.
• The analysis of our strengths and weaknesses has been carried out and we have learnt from past mistakes and are putting them right. There is no doubt in my mind, that this Region provides now a thriving environment on which to build further success with a view to enhancing the attraction for businesses to relocate to the City and the City Region, based on the real benefits we have to offer.
Clive Bleasdale
Head of Property
Weightmans LLP
BLOG: Clive Bleasdale
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on July 11, 2008 11:11 AM
I recently attended the inaugural charity dinner at the newly re-opened Midland Hotel in Morecambe with Weightmans' property partner Sian Evans as a guest of Bill Maynard of property developer Urban Splash.
Bill had told me about the project three or more years ago and the concept already caught my imagination then.
To be invited to see the finished product was an absolute delight bearing in mind my Mum and Dad had told me about the Hotel and its former glory having gone on their first dinner date there back in 1958.
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Down but not out
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on May 13, 2008 4:16 PM
There are many tales of gloom and doom for the property market, however in my view its by no means all bad news. I’m no stranger to property recession having experienced difficult times for property and businesses in the property sector in the mid ‘70’ and the early 90’s.
On both occasions the market re-adjusted, picked itself up and it was onwards and upwards for all involved. The same will happen this time.
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Musical offering on our doorstep
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on April 9, 2008 10:28 AM
It was good to hear that The Echo Arena will be the venue for a 30th Anniversary gig for the band, Echo And The Bunnymen on 27th November. The band will be performing their iconic ‘80’s classic album “Ocean Rain� to many thousands of fans.
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Securing Liverpool's economic future
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on March 19, 2008 3:42 PM
In Capital of Culture year, it was fantastic to see the City of Liverpool so well represented by both the public and private sectors, all pulling together and playing their vital parts in helping to secure Liverpool's economic future.
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Culture Club
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on January 21, 2008 4:47 PM
The culture year has got off to a bright start at my firm with members of our property and corporate teams attending the Echo Arena for the Liverpool No 1's concert on Saturday night. This was an impressive event indeed at a fantastic venue - a real rival for the MEN Arena in my opinion.
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Trends repeat themselves
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on January 3, 2008 4:45 PM
As Phil Rees Roberts comments in his space on this site it seems to be the time of year when everybody is organising Christmas parties (when this piece was written that is). Several hundred of us from Weightmans Liverpool office will be heading down to the Crowne Plaza later for ours.
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What the future holds
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on September 20, 2007 11:36 AM
It seems to be the time of year when everybody is organising business breakfast meetings. I have been to a couple in the last few weeks, notably the Move Commercial meeting at the Tate last week and the GVA Grimley insight into the regional city centre office market this week.
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Remember what you did last summer?
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on August 29, 2007 11:04 AM
I have just returned from two weeks in Lagos in the Algarve. This is a part of the Algarve Coast which reminds me of Albufeira 30 years ago when it was relatively unspoilt and undeveloped. It is also a town only 10 minutes away from Praia da Luz where Madeleine McCann disappeared. Having three young children to look after on holiday and with the profile of the ongoing search very much in the local media hearing on the news just prior to our return about the sad shooting in Croxteth Park of Rhys Jones brought matters regarding the day to day safety of our younger generation firmly into focus.
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Cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival is bad news
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on August 7, 2007 5:15 PM
The apparent cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival is not good news. The event has in past years attracted worldwide interest in Liverpool and generally fairly global attendance as well as local attendance at this event. It is to be hoped that moves to salvage the festival event based around the Cavern Quarter will succeed.
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Liverpool - a city full of strengths
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on July 17, 2007 5:14 PM
There was some press coverage last week (10 July) about a relatively negative survey regarding Liverpool’s progress over the past few years. Comparisons have frequently been made with Manchester although frankly such comparisons are not a comparison of “like with like�.
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Regeneration, regeneration, regeneration
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on July 11, 2007 9:11 AM
Regeneration is key to improving our City and surrounding towns in the region. It is exciting to be involved in the legal aspects of regeneration opportunities in areas which in past years have suffered from under investment.
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BLOG: MPIM - the benefits
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on July 4, 2007 9:33 AM
Colin Hilton and Warren Bradley organised a dinner at the Town Hall last week as thanks for supporters of this years trip to MPIM in Cannes. It proved a well attended and enjoyable event.
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BLOG: Innovation, adaptation and change are key
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on June 27, 2007 11:56 AM
Talking about cycles and continuity my granddad started building houses in Aintree and beyond from the 1930’s. Under my dad, the business turned from house building to property portfolio investment following the mid 70’s slump in the sale of new houses.
Thirty years on the business is now managed by one of my brothers and remains based at the Old Roan, Aintree with the portfolio under management stretching from Cumbria to Yorkshire to South Manchester but with the heartland in Aintree and Liverpool still.
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BLOG: The origins of Liverpool
Posted by Clive Bleasdale on June 20, 2007 4:25 PM
I have been reading the excellent book produced by John Belchem entitled "Liverpool 800" which presents a history of Liverpool.
Funnily enough over the last 800 years charting the origins of Liverpool from what seems to have been no more than an isolated "settlement" with a castle at the end of what is now Castle Street where the street meets Derby Square through to the present configuration of the City Centre.
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BLOG: Challenge is just getting going
Posted by Legal Week Administrator on June 11, 2007 4:27 PM
In my student days in the early 80's, the closure of Eric's in Mathew Street seemed a terminal blow to the resurgence of the music industry in the city after the glory years (or so I was told by my parents) of the 60's music scene in Liverpool.
Likewise starting out as an aspiring property lawyer in Liverpool in 1985 seemed a challenging prospect indeed. The downturn in the market in the early 90's made the prospect even more daunting.
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