[matilda] Cooling the Towers update

[Go]

Hey sheffield lovers,

It's GO here.

We just wanted to update you all on what's happening with those pesky
Cooling Towers.

In case you've been in a cupboard for the last year, we're trying to turn
the disused cooling towers on the edge of Sheffield into massive works of
public art. Channel 4 are helping us do it, and everyone wants it to happen.
But the owners of the site, Eon, want to knock the towers down.

We're trying to convince them otherwise. Here's an update.

DAVID BLUNKETT TO THE RESCUE

David Blunkett met Eon's senior executives on Tuesday this week. There's
some really positive news.

First, demolition has been put back til March. This gives us a bit more
time.

Second, Blunkett makes it clear that the big issue for Eon is liability. Eon
don't want to be responsible for the cooling towers anymore, and as such
they want to get rid.

This is a big move from Eon's previous arguments, on the grounds of health
and safety and wanting to redevelop the site. Jonathan Smith, Eon's press
manager, has even stated 'the towers are over 70 years old and they are in a
good condition because we have spent money on them but the time is right to
bring them down.'

It's also really positive that Eon are talking to us now. They respect the
amount of work that's gone into the campaign and are evidently taking it
seriously if their Managing Director is willing to meet Blunkett on our
behalf. They're looking for an alternative solution to the site, and that's
ace. Hopefully they can still do something positive.

SUPPORT

We've got a lot of support for the project. 2200 people have signed the
petition, here <http://www.petitiononline.com/tct2/petition.html>and all the
comments are really positive. People are saying what we're saying, over and
over: that the towers mean something, that you could never build as good a
symbol, that they could put Sheffield on the map if they were reused. That
we shouldn't miss this opportunity. If you haven't signed it yet, please do.


We've also got the support of a few high profile types. David Blunkett, as
mentioned above; Sam West, artistic director of Sheffield Theatres; and
Antony Gormley, the sculptor who created the Angel of the North.

PRESS

We've had some good coverage so far. We were on Look
North<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/6103416.stm>.
To watch the film, click on the link in the top right corner. Eon looked a
bit silly. And we've been in the
Independent<http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article1948233.ece>,
courtesy of Antony Gormley.

FILM

A couple of things to report. Media Lounge <http://www.medlo.net/> have made
a short film about us and the towers, which we'll put on youtube soon (it's
the future, apparently). And our friends at Smoothe <http://www.smoothe.com>are
putting together a film of what the towers could look like. This will be
ace.


KEEP THE FAITH

We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know whether Eon will see
sense, or whether they just don't care about local people, economics,
Channel 4 and The Government.

But we do know that these towers are important. That more and more people
agree with us, and that everyone's talking about it. And we know that they
could put Sheffield on the map. Become a symbol of how wonderful our city
is, how much it's changed, but also where it's come from.

So we're going to keep fighting. Hope you are too.

Go X

-- 
GO Sheffield

Post-industrial City Lovers

www.myspace.com/coolingthetowers
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