The Priory, Firoka, The City Council & (at last) Oxford Times

[Paul Cannell]

By letting OGB off with work estimated at 21 grand prior to work on the hotel starting OCC has got to this stage.

OGB should be made to carry our all the rectification work to restore the Priory that this survey (which I guess is part of the deal EH mentioned to me) requires. Cheating bastard.

 

[Foley]

Kassam has run rings round the council.
As somebody else suggested it shows what he is really like (as if there has ever been any doubt)
I somehow doubt it, but hope that the Council go for Kassam and ensure that he does what he agreed to do some what 14 years ago.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Watch it be deferred till after the stadium situation is resolved. Purchase of everything from OGB or move and redevelopment. Only 6 years iirc.

 

[Cass63]

As soon as I read that I heard fire engines. Weird.

 

[Gary Baldi]

I find the timing curious considering the Council have done little since the new hotel opened to get Kassam to sort the Priory out. Still, what's good the "they agreed this, they didn't need to, they can leave at any time" goose is good for its gander.

 

[outsidethebox]

Would that be the legal advive Bob Price told us OCC were taking 18 months ago?

 

[bazzer9461]

The business with the Priory has been a total shambles and the Labour led OCC should be ashamed of themselves over their lack or no action over OGB and his incompetence about his lease of the Priory

 

[GRB]

Time for OCC to grow a pair and force OGB to carry out the required work!! Get tough with him!

 

[Maurice Earp]

Time for OCC to grow a pair and force OGB to carry out the required work!! Get tough with him!

Would be great if that happened but personally don't think it will

 

[Fourthstand]

Not sure if it’s been said previously but I would love to see FK’s lack of action tested in a court of law.

 

[Foley]

Would be great if that happened but personally don't think it will

Why do you think that maurice?

 

[MJB]

Why do you think that maurice?

Look what happened with the arbitration. Kassam has deep pockets and expensive legal support. Does a Local Authority already suffering many years of budget cuts really have the public backing or inclination for a potentially costly and time-consuming legal battle of this nature?

The man clearly doesn’t care whether people see him for what he is. No sense of social responsibility to repair a listed building of historical importance to local people. The repairs would cost money he could easily afford and has a duty to conduct and yet he’ll continue to fight it.

Morally bankrupt.

 

[Foley]

Look what happened with the arbitration. Kassam has deep pockets and expensive legal support. Does a Local Authority already suffering many years of budget cuts really have the public backing or inclination for a potentially costly and time-consuming legal battle of this nature?

The man clearly doesn’t care whether people see him for what he is. No sense of social responsibility to repair a listed building of historical importance to local people. The repairs would cost money he could easily afford and has a duty to conduct and yet he’ll continue to fight it.

Morally bankrupt.

Fair points.

Morally bankrupt and awful for the City of Oxford.

I worry that the Council didnt get their contracts watertight. Surely the building of the hotel should have been conditional on the works being completed?

 

[Maurice Earp]

Why do you think that maurice?

No particular reason really just a gut feeling.
Its been a few years that the Priory has been empty and I would have thought if Kassam and the Stadco were going to do anything regarding the Priory then it would have been done/started ages ago.
As I said just my thoughts.

 

[Dolly 51]

It depends really, it could either be tokenism or they feel they have some new leverage.

 

[Gary Baldi]

As a condition of building the new hotel, the Priory had to be done up. Kassam willingly agreed to this, so I really don't see how much of a leg he has to stand on to challenge it. The condition is not particularly onerous nor that controversial when the overall site is profitable and the building is grade 2 listed.

Could the council effectively remove the right of the hotel to trade as he broken the terms of the lease?

 

[Sarge]

As a condition of building the new hotel, the Priory had to be done up. Kassam willingly agreed to this, so I really don't see how much of a leg he has to stand on to challenge it. The condition is not particularly onerous nor that controversial when the overall site is profitable and the building is grade 2 listed.

Could the council effectively remove the right of the hotel to trade as he broken the terms of the lease?

in theory yes, In practice highly unlikely

 

[Sarge]

It depends really, it could either be tokenism or they feel they have some new leverage.

or perhaps if the head of Ox City Council legal department has been to the cinema very recently and drawn inspiration from the movie about JRR, it could be Tolkienism?

 

[Foley]

As a condition of building the new hotel, the Priory had to be done up. Kassam willingly agreed to this, so I really don't see how much of a leg he has to stand on to challenge it. The condition is not particularly onerous nor that controversial when the overall site is profitable and the building is grade 2 listed.

Could the council effectively remove the right of the hotel to trade as he broken the terms of the lease?

That's the theory.
Kassam is good at getting lawyers to contest such things which is why I guess the council are reluctant to take him on (in the current economic climate imagine if they spend £10's thousands and lose)
What the Council should have tried to gave done was to tie in the Priory work before the hotel building could start.
Somebody in here suggested that in real life Kassam was a nice guy?
Showing his real spots here I reckon.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Can the council order him to close the hotel? He was supposed to put the priory right as part of the hotel being built. He hasn’t so remove any licences he needs to operate.