O/T The Dome

[Richard Head]

Just heard on The Bay that the Dome is shutting down next June. Hardly a sad loss is it?

[Duffman]

I think it's terrible news personally. I remember going their when I was very young to a christmas panto and have great memories. Also, it seemed to be on the up with some great acts playing there including the great Arctic Monkeys. Yet another feature of Morecambe is going to close. I'll try not to go on a rant but personally I think its sad.

[George Dawes]

am glad!

id just like all that land what looks a eye-sore flattered so it makes a better impression for people who visit Morecambe, just landscaped/level it so you get a better view across the bay and a bigger area for open air concerts, festival stuff

and for what little entertainment we have, we still have the platform, and maybe in the future the winter gardens



oh and dont get me wrong ive had some great times there, but thats in the past look forward

[Bare Ben]

Bring back WOMAD

[Neil G]

Been to a lot of concerts at both the Platform and the Dome, most recently this weekend at the Platform. I really dislike the sound in there even if it's full, with all that stone and glass it's ok for acoustic music but for amplified bands the Dome is the better of the two venues sonically hands down, it's fairly typical of the council to knock down the better sounding of the two
If there are indeed plans (and money) for the Winter Gardens to be our main music venue then I would support that idea because the Platform just isn't good or big enough. Bigger names, better venue, tighter sound, build it and they will come

[Phoenix]

Amazing coincidence the face of Morecambe (does she ever smile?) is on the front of the Citizen to save the Dome days before the council decide to close it. No doubt there will be some spin on that story this week, not that I believe anything most of our councillors spout. That leaves the Platform and, hopefully in my lifetime, the Winter Gardens. Now then, whose name is on the deeds of the Gardens? Surely it's not the face of Morecambe? I look forward to reading the minutes of that council meeting

[Splodge]

Amazing coincidence the face of Morecambe (does she ever smile?) is on the front of the Citizen to save the Dome days before the council decide to close it. No doubt there will be some spin on that story this week, not that I believe anything most of our councillors spout. That leaves the Platform and, hopefully in my lifetime, the Winter Gardens. Now then, whose name is on the deeds of the Gardens? Surely it's not the face of Morecambe? I look forward to reading the minutes of that council meeting

Is this the same 'Champion of Morecambe' who wants to stop future developments in the area surrounding the Dome?

[Phoenix]

Morecambe Champion



http://www.thelancasterandmorecambeciti ... ont_venue/

[Aal]

Seems a shame to me, but then nothing surprises me any more with Lancaster Council

[B.H.C #3]

I'm quite sad personally.

[Andy]

I thought Evelyn Archer was Mrs Morecambe !!!!!!!




sorry
I've been away far too long

[Posh]

Seems a shame to me, but then nothing surprises me any more with Lancaster Council

You mean the Lancaster City Council that delivered the promenade scheme, brought together the funding for the Midland, improved Poulton using government funds, gave over £150K to fix the roof of the Winter Gardens, built the first new public toilets for over 50 years, delivered the splash park in Happy Mount Park, and well I could go on...

The problem is that most of these developments happened during the previous administration. The current one including all political parties (an utter farce in my view) is cocking up under the leadership of Roger Mace of the Tories. Already we're seeing nearly £2 million in cuts, which could have been avoided - not just because of the Icelandic banks fiasco (anyone resigned yet?) but projects like the Storey Creative Industries Centre, which has been bailed out by the City Council to the tune of £1 million but was opposed by the previous leader Ian Barker.

Of course the Dome could have gone along time ago if those behind the Winter Gardens had pulled their fingers out, put in place a professional operation to refurbish the place (like other schemes across the country) instead of being a closed-shop for largely hopeless amateurs that has delivered basically a jumble sale with a high roof for the last few years.

Evelyn Archer needs to start looking closer to home for the root cause of Morecambe's problems, as she's on the cabinet that got us in the mess in the first place that means the Dome's closure and runs the party that pledges to work for Morecambe but all it succeeds in doing is nothing and, er, being part of the administration that is closing its entertainment venues.

[George Dawes]

never mind all that! i want i link to the M6 now from galgate, and stuff all these student liberal do-gooders, who live in Lancaster who oppose it

Morecambe needs it, link Heysham harbour for the Northern Irish investors, for a knock on effect round here


oh and plus it will save people ages fighting through Lancaster traffic

[Posh]

never mind all that! i want i link to the M6 now from galgate, and stuff all these student liberal do-gooders, who live in Lancaster who oppose it

Morecambe needs it, link Heysham harbour for the Northern Irish investors, for a knock on effect round here

oh and plus it will save people ages fighting through Lancaster traffic

Wheel invented.

[bigreddog]

I do find it remarkable that the cabinet member for regeneration who was sitting in the room when they decided to make a cabinet and therefore collective decision to close the Dome is complaining about it. I have also had a few very good evenings in there, most notably a Paul Carrack (lead singer from Mike and the Mechanics) concert a few years back. The problem is it loses £500,000 of your money each year. While the council is scuttling round delivering redundancy notices to its own workers I would expect them to close down loss making ventures to save jobs and services. The question for "Morecambe's Champion" and the rest of her party is: What jobs and services would you like to have cut?

Against the M6 Link, Against regeneration. In favour of costing local tax payers £500,000 more a year with the Dome,In favour of costing local tax payers even more with more beaurocrats, more politicians and not one more service with a costly vanity exercise of a parish council. This is Morecambe's Champion? Give me a break. Amazing how comfortable some politicians are at frittering away money when it's somebody elses.

Oh and by the way to save the moderators the time. Tony if you're reading this and you're interested in chating to the chief executive or the police, it's Darren Clifford.

[George Dawes]

Interviewer: "When you see the state of the country do you pray for our politicians"
Archbishop: " No when I see the state of the politicians I pray for our country"

that's a cracker

[Phoenix]

I do find it remarkable that the cabinet member for regeneration who was sitting in the room when they decided to make a cabinet and therefore collective decision to close the Dome is complaining about it.

Does owning the Winter Gardens (her words, not mine) make her an interested party therefore unable to take part in the discussion and vote? I'd have thought owning a theatre across the road suggested a significant interest.

Not sure how I feel about the decision as more facts come out. Losing 500K/year, the money can definitely be better spent. At the same time, some investment and surely we could have a decent convcert venue that didn't lose money? Takes us back to the old arguments about the WG but I think Posh summed that up quite nicely, closed-shop for largely hopeless amateurs that has delivered basically a jumble sale with a high roof for the last few years

[Ade Adams]

They should have turned it into a cafe for the unemployed, nearer to the job centre and far more cost effective than building that west end gardens white elephant they use for target practice with their bb guns

[Phoenix]

The TravelInn image has been the best suggested so far.

I think we can safely assume at least one MBI member reads this forum plus smiler's husband so they're aware of these discussions. It's open to all, perhaps they would care to enlighten us as to their voting decisions on things like the bypass, dome and Urban Splash developments? Hiding behind council rules won't go down well.

To quote smiler (taken from the Visitor online), We do have a venue (The Winter Gardens) that will be ready but not for three years, that is, if we get Government money. We might not get that money if we send out this message that there's no demand for entertainment in the town." It would be awful if anyone suggested that this decision gives the WG more chance to get funding as the only theatre in town, wouldn't it

[Frank]

If the dome was left open until urban splash were ready to regenerate the area we might get several years more use of the dome. By that time the winter gardens could be ready. Then all the entertainment that was at the dome could be moved to the winter gardens and the platform
If they close the dome now were are we going to hold our festivals the platform is not big enough

[Ade Adams]

the platform is not big enough

It was when used for the purpose it was designed for boy how I miss those deltics

[North Stand Shrimp]

will be really sad to see it go, I've seen some great gigs in there and have fond memories of the Battle of the bands competition that ran ever year when I was in my teens.

I went to the Ocean Colour Scene gig there this year and it's one of the best nights out I've had in ages.

[willowthewhisp]

I will be sorry to see it go. The accoustics are far superior to the Platform and we have made special journeys from Accrington just to go to concerts there. If it hasn't been bringing in enough money that may have something to do with the failure to advertise adequately as I have spoken to people who would have made the effort to go to concerts there had they known about them.

[RedRedWine1]

I surprised it costs £500k to run the dome, let alone that it is currently making a net loss of £500k! In fact, I don't believe it. I'd love to know how that is calculated. Can we access the financials of the council? After all, they should be accountable to the tax payer. The term 'couldn't run a raffle' yet again springs up for this local council who can't seem to fathom why an Icelandic bank offering higher returns than most others went bust, henceforth losing £millions. Clown shoes.

The Dome will be a sad loss for the resort IMO.

[sandgrown]

Oh and by the way to save the moderators the time. Tony if you're reading this and you're interested in chating to the chief executive or the police, it's Darren Clifford.

Darren, I've only just read this post, and would like to know just what you are inferring ?