Rod Taylor Responds to Cala's Criticism

[Gnasher]

Excellent from rod as always if we come out the other side and all this is over tge fans should do something for him.

Wrong. Something should be done for Rod, regardless of the outcome.

[oracle]

A new speedo it seems.

[Gnasher]

A new speedo it seems.

Not a satnav?

[correct bloke]

I think this is right.

When the sale of Christie Park and the move to Westgate was going through JB Christie's trustees applied to the High Court to have the conditions of the deeds of gift (I think that's what it was called) transferred to the new site.

I've seen 'Christie's Trust' mentioned a lot recently - including from people thinking that it somehow received money when Sainsbury's bought the land. I'm not sure where that idea comes from but I don't think it's right. I believe the Christie trustees are merely people who look after the 'wishes' of Mr Christie in relation to the land he gave to the club.

As far as I understand it, the terms of the deed of gift are merely an expression of Mr Christie's wish when he gave the land to the football club. They include the phrase that people often repeat about the land reverting to public use for leisure purposes. That was (again as I understand it) ONLY in the event that the football club 'ceases to exist'.

The terms of the deed of gift (I believe, not even legally binding - I could be wrong) were successfully transferred to the current site.

The JB Christie Trust is happily legally binding and there to provide as much protection as it can.

The trust owns the freehold of all the land on which the football pitch and stands are built as well as the road in and the car park behind the Bay Stand.

The idea is that if all else fails, there will always be a place for Morecambe FC to play football and the land cannot be used for any other purpose. The thieves trying to get their hands on the shares are a bunch of asset strippers and would do well to read this. They won't get the land, it's worth nothing to anyone but Morecambe Football Club. In that I mean the Club (which is us) not the Company which currently runs our Club.

That Company owns a long lease of the stadium which is in mortgage to the bank. If the proverbial hits the fan then the bank can try an sell the lease but whoever buys it (if it's worth anything) can only use it to let Morecambe Football Club play there. Any other use is just to be complimentary to the Football.

[Gnasher]

That means the Trust allowed another company, PMG Leisure Ltd, to build on trust land. Are they aware of that?

[stoyles]

This is the best thing I have read regarding MFC for a very long time ( if statement above is correct)

[correct bloke]

No the PMG Leisure land is at the rear and is separate to the Trust land

[correct bloke]

This is the best thing I have read regarding MFC for a very long time ( if statement above is correct)

I am correct bloke

[shrimpnsave]

"They won't get the land"
And the land what they thought was easy peasy to build more houses on

[Gnasher]

No the PMG Leisure land is at the rear and is separate to the Trust land

PMG Leisure own the security building within the ground that provides more for the club than just a few cctv screens.

[stoyles]

Are documents available to back this up?

[correct bloke]

No the PMG Leisure land is at the rear and is separate to the Trust land

PMG Leisure own the security building within the ground that provides more for the club than just a few cctv screens.

Correct. The Community Block houses the match day security room and some new arrangement will be required if the bastard administrators of PMG Leisure decide to be complete bastard administrators

[MEL69]

I would have thought that in that case the building would have limited value,as not being on PMG Leisure land.

[John L]

The banter from the club's twitter post

[shrimper]

correct bloke.

That's great - was that negotiated at the time of the move to strengthen the trust and protect its standing?... as my understanding was from what I was told about the trust when we were in the process of moving.

[Gnasher]

In everything that has gone on, this is one of the few things that offers any glimmer of hope, another being the fan-directors.

[marky No.1]

I think this is right.

When the sale of Christie Park and the move to Westgate was going through JB Christie's trustees applied to the High Court to have the conditions of the deeds of gift (I think that's what it was called) transferred to the new site.

I've seen 'Christie's Trust' mentioned a lot recently - including from people thinking that it somehow received money when Sainsbury's bought the land. I'm not sure where that idea comes from but I don't think it's right. I believe the Christie trustees are merely people who look after the 'wishes' of Mr Christie in relation to the land he gave to the club.

As far as I understand it, the terms of the deed of gift are merely an expression of Mr Christie's wish when he gave the land to the football club. They include the phrase that people often repeat about the land reverting to public use for leisure purposes. That was (again as I understand it) ONLY in the event that the football club 'ceases to exist'.

The terms of the deed of gift (I believe, not even legally binding - I could be wrong) were successfully transferred to the current site.

The JB Christie Trust is happily legally binding and there to provide as much protection as it can.

The trust owns the freehold of all the land on which the football pitch and stands are built as well as the road in and the car park behind the Bay Stand.

The idea is that if all else fails, there will always be a place for Morecambe FC to play football and the land cannot be used for any other purpose. The thieves trying to get their hands on the shares are a bunch of asset strippers and would do well to read this. They won't get the land, it's worth nothing to anyone but Morecambe Football Club. In that I mean the Club (which is us) not the Company which currently runs our Club.

That Company owns a long lease of the stadium which is in mortgage to the bank. If the proverbial hits the fan then the bank can try an sell the lease but whoever buys it (if it's worth anything) can only use it to let Morecambe Football Club play there. Any other use is just to be complimentary to the Football.

This is brilliant and what I wanted to hear. I take it this information wasn't in the estate agents sales 'brochure' at the time

[Wild Bill]

Great post Correct One.

Could you qualify your source of information?

[George Dawes]

... and also to the above


I won't name names it's breaking confidence, but this above exactly what I was told off somebody who was very close to the club(don't know if it's correct bloke) who doesn't come on match days that often now.

I'm so relieved , so if things go tits up, so what it's not the end of the world, we'll just do a rebuild and build a young side and bounce back .

[correct bloke]

In answer to the various questions raised, I recall very clearly that it was not possible for the Trustees and the Company to sell Christie Park without getting a court order from the High Court to approve all the new documents for the Trust to become the owner of an equivalent area of land at Westgate. In fact the land it owns now at Westgate is in fact larger I think. Not all the land at Westgate was put in the Trust as some was for commercial development to provide money for the Company to build what it did.

The Court approved all of this and there is an order. The City Council, Secretary of State (I kid you not) and the Charity Commission agreed it all too. The Land Regsitry has the Trustees ownership of the freehold on public record for all to see. There is also the lease to the Company.

Shrimper is right, it was actually improved and protected at Westgate.

None of us ever wanted to have to rely on this protection and we still hope that the day will never come. But there will always be a Club and always a home to play at. That's the spirit of JB Christie's gift when he bought the field at Christie Park and then a few years later gave it to the Club.

[Keith]

Thank you for that info, I feel more comfortable now.

Do you know who the trustees are? I would hope they are aware of the ongoing situation.

[correct bloke]

The independant trustees must know there are problems as they are all local folk and are well connected to people who are or have been involved. None of them are or have ever been involved in the running of the Club

[fulwoodshrimp]

If the Community Block is built on land owned by the trust can the trust not impose a huge rent on the land to make the Community Block not worth buying from the administrators except to the newly formed trust?

[correct bloke]

The Community Block is unfortunately not owned by the Trust and never has been. It is owned by PMG Leisure in Administration.