:01:28. > :01:31.And in the North West: It's a �50 billion project which is
:01:31. > :01:41.quietly transforming large parts of the region. We open the doors on
:01:41. > :01:41.
:01:41. > :30:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1716 seconds
:30:17. > :30:20.Hello, I'm Arif Ansari. In the next 20 minutes:
:30:20. > :30:26.It's a �50 billion scheme reshaping the region, but you've probably
:30:26. > :30:30.never heard of it. We'll be giving you a bird's eye view of the Ocean
:30:30. > :30:34.Gateway. First, let me introduce this week's
:30:34. > :30:43.MPs. Luciana Berger is the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree. And
:30:43. > :30:46.David Mowat is the Conservative MP for Warrington South. It has been
:30:46. > :30:51.half term so you have been away from Parliament. An opportunity to
:30:51. > :30:55.get some work done. What have you been up to, David? Well, I have
:30:55. > :31:01.been in Warrington all week which is different to normal. I have been
:31:01. > :31:05.working mostly on two issues. We have a big landfill that has
:31:05. > :31:11.applied for an extension and I am working with residents around that.
:31:11. > :31:15.I also got the chance to go watch the football. Luciana, what have
:31:15. > :31:19.you been up to? More time in the constituency is always welcome. I
:31:19. > :31:25.have been talking to a lot of local businesses about issues they are
:31:25. > :31:29.facing at the moment. Also spent a couple of days with RAF. Merseyside
:31:29. > :31:33.has the highest proportion of people joining the Armed Forces and
:31:33. > :31:37.I thought it was important as a new MP to learn that more about what
:31:37. > :31:46.our Armed Forces are actually doing. I went down to it and Defence
:31:46. > :31:49.Academy. It was very interesting. We'll stop it there for a moment
:31:49. > :31:52.because this week we're having a look at one of the boldest and most
:31:52. > :31:54.far-reaching plans for the development of the North West. It's
:31:54. > :31:57.called Ocean Gateway, is being driven by the developer Peel
:31:57. > :32:00.Holdings and it's already transforming a large part of this
:32:00. > :32:03.region. It starts at the mouth of the River
:32:03. > :32:06.Mersey and extends all the way down the Manchester Ship Canal, ending
:32:06. > :32:09.in the centre of Manchester itself. Ocean Gateway is a strategy to
:32:09. > :32:12.deliver 50 projects over 50 years, and, not surprisingly, transport is
:32:12. > :32:15.key. The docks at Liverpool and
:32:15. > :32:22.Birkenhead will be enhanced, ports will be developed at Warrington and
:32:22. > :32:26.Salford. And Barton Aerodrome will be extended. Peel's also planning a
:32:26. > :32:31.number of renewable energy projects. They include a windfarm in Frodsham
:32:31. > :32:34.and biomass powerplants at Ince in Cheshire and Trafford. But the
:32:34. > :32:38.overall theme is regeneration. We are broadcasting from one of the
:32:38. > :32:40.completed projects - Media City. Much larger is the creation of
:32:40. > :32:43.Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters - two massive regeneration schemes
:32:43. > :32:49.in their own right which would create homes, offices and leisure
:32:49. > :32:59.along the banks of the Mersey. So, what's the background to all this?
:32:59. > :33:05.
:33:05. > :33:10.I've been taking a closer look at Peel. Ambitious, pushy and with the
:33:11. > :33:13.land to make its ambitions come true. Peel are one of the most
:33:13. > :33:17.impressive companies on the whole of the property scene in Great
:33:18. > :33:23.Britain. They have developed the Mersey Docks, everything at Salford
:33:23. > :33:27.Quays, the Trafford Centre, the airport. They are transformational,
:33:27. > :33:31.but also extremely ruthless in the pursuit of their own goals.
:33:31. > :33:37.scale of this development is so vast that there is only one way to
:33:37. > :33:41.the it properly - and that is by air. The Gormley statues on Crosby
:33:41. > :33:50.Beach get a cast iron view of the Mersey. Peel wants to develop a
:33:50. > :33:58.regional super port and regenerate both sides of the river. We are now
:33:58. > :34:02.flying over Birkenhead. This is going to be redeveloped as we all
:34:02. > :34:07.waters. On the other side, the plan is to develop Liverpool waters.
:34:07. > :34:11.From here, you can see the huge scale of the project, and remember,
:34:11. > :34:14.this is only the start of the future Ocean Gateway. For
:34:14. > :34:22.Birkenhead, it's an opportunity to catch up, and Wirral Waters already
:34:22. > :34:29.has planning permission. As you can see, we are fairly desolate at the
:34:29. > :34:33.moment, so anything that happens he would almost be seen as a bonus
:34:33. > :34:38.will look different? Radically. It will give people over in Liverpool
:34:38. > :34:44.the same sort of pleasant iconic view that people from Birkenhead
:34:44. > :34:47.now have. One of the best views is reserved for customers at Woodside
:34:47. > :34:55.Ferry Terminal. There the cafe owner is excited at the potential
:34:55. > :34:59.business opportunity. You get on the boat and look back and the
:34:59. > :35:03.skyline is near enough the same as it was five or ten years ago. I
:35:03. > :35:08.think people lack a bit of confidence over here to think,
:35:08. > :35:10.there is a big city, let's be part of what is going on. The ambition
:35:10. > :35:12.is already reflected in Liverpool. Liverpool Waters would also
:35:12. > :35:16.regenerate miles of derelict dockland in another multi-billion
:35:16. > :35:21.pound plan. Some fear development could cost the city its
:35:21. > :35:28.international status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But that won't
:35:28. > :35:31.stop Peel. We wanted to ask the regeneration organisation, the
:35:31. > :35:36.Mersey Partnership, for their views. They dropped out after speaking to
:35:36. > :35:41.Peel. A revealing example of the company's influence. Peel's
:35:41. > :35:46.fortunes run along 39 miles of the Manchester Ship Canal. Peel's owner
:35:46. > :35:53.John Whittaker has owned it outright since 1993. And it's led
:35:53. > :36:00.to major developments such as Media City at Salford Quays. Cheshire
:36:00. > :36:03.West and Chester Council is very supportive of the Ocean Gateway.
:36:03. > :36:10.But the leader has already dealt with Peel, and says you've got to
:36:10. > :36:15.ensure they look beyond the bottom line. They make good profit margins
:36:15. > :36:17.on development and they say they cannot do less than that. That is
:36:17. > :36:21.where the robust discussions take place during the planning process.
:36:21. > :36:24.Unless they engage with their communities in a way that is more
:36:24. > :36:30.positive than they have done in the past, in the future they will not
:36:30. > :36:33.get much development. Frodsham is a case in point. Peel is determined
:36:33. > :36:41.to build giant wind turbines here. So what do campaigners make of
:36:41. > :36:44.their adversary? I quite like Peel for their energy, the fact that
:36:45. > :36:51.they do things and get on with things, the fact they don't just
:36:51. > :36:55.sit on their land banks and make percentages. I wish they would just
:36:55. > :36:58.Paul in their horns a bit and listen a bit because there are a
:36:58. > :37:02.number of projects around the north-west which are really good
:37:02. > :37:05.projects which they spoil by just pushing it too far. Peel is
:37:05. > :37:12.certainly pushing this one. The plan was knocked back by the
:37:12. > :37:17.council and the company's appealing. Peel have never lost a planning
:37:17. > :37:21.battle or a bid battle when they had been up against either another
:37:21. > :37:24.council or another authority. They always win. The voyage across the
:37:24. > :37:27.Ocean Gateway ends in Manchester, but won't be completed for 50 years.
:37:27. > :37:34.It's an extraordinary vision which binds Peels fortunes and the
:37:34. > :37:42.region's ever tighter. Well, I'm joined now by one of Peel's
:37:42. > :37:46.directors, Neil Lees. Thank you for coming in. We have had a look there
:37:46. > :37:52.at the plans for the Ocean Gateway, a hugely ambitious. What is the
:37:52. > :37:58.motivation behind it? Why does Peel want to deliver this project?
:37:58. > :38:08.is an indigenous north-west company, it has been around since the early
:38:08. > :38:13.
:38:13. > :38:17.1970s. It has developed primarily, as you saw, this area. We believe
:38:17. > :38:23.in the north-west. The project includes 50 schemes across the
:38:23. > :38:27.North West, from the city of Manchester to Liverpool. We believe
:38:27. > :38:34.the north-west deserves that growth and those jobs. And you feel you
:38:34. > :38:39.can make a lot of money out of it. We are a developer, we expect to
:38:39. > :38:43.turn a profit on a development. That is a good thing, obviously,
:38:43. > :38:47.making money. But it was curious listening to the leader of Cheshire
:38:47. > :38:52.West in his clip, he said if it was left to you, it would all be about
:38:52. > :38:56.profit. He has to keep wishing you to deliver things for the community.
:38:56. > :39:00.I think there is always a balance between what a local authority will
:39:00. > :39:05.want and desire from a development and what an organisation can
:39:05. > :39:09.actually deliver. There is the counter argument that actually
:39:09. > :39:14.making a development unprofitable, unsustainable, will actually not
:39:14. > :39:18.generate the development in the first place. I don't think we as an
:39:18. > :39:23.organisation would be isolated in that instance. Indeed, he was
:39:23. > :39:26.talking about developers in general, I think. What about when you see
:39:26. > :39:30.the criticisms from some of the group's way you have run up against
:39:30. > :39:37.them. They clearly have a feeling you are not listening enough to
:39:37. > :39:42.their views, you are steamrollering through. I think development
:39:42. > :39:48.planning touches people's lives for a very long time. Projects of this
:39:48. > :39:55.nature can be five years in the gestation. We take consultation
:39:55. > :39:58.very seriously and we consult as fully as we can do. It is not
:39:58. > :40:04.always easy for people to understand and accept change when
:40:04. > :40:11.it affects them locally. consult, but you compromise? We do
:40:11. > :40:16.compromise, absolutely. I don't think you can generalise as much as
:40:16. > :40:20.perhaps the film suggests. What about this curious business that we
:40:20. > :40:24.have, this interview with the Mersey Partnership and then saying
:40:24. > :40:31.that Peel is not terribly keen and suddenly disappears, what happened
:40:31. > :40:38.there? Well, actually that is not correct. We became aware, we
:40:38. > :40:42.consulted with them, and as far as we were concerned we made it clear
:40:42. > :40:48.that they are an independent organisation and they can do as is
:40:48. > :40:53.appropriate for them. We are a supporter of the Mersey Partnership
:40:53. > :41:03.and we participate in some of their initiatives. The Super port
:41:03. > :41:04.
:41:04. > :41:08.initiative is a fantastic scheme to bring trade to then north-west.
:41:08. > :41:14.you perhaps make organisations like the Mersey Partnership a bit
:41:14. > :41:22.nervous because of how influential you are as the company? I think we
:41:22. > :41:27.are an organisation that has shown we can deliver complex projects.
:41:27. > :41:31.That sometimes means we have to be persistent, we have to be
:41:31. > :41:35.determined, but we are doing that because we need to demonstrate to
:41:35. > :41:44.the partners, our stakeholders, politicians, local authorities,
:41:44. > :41:47.funding partners, that we are a credible will delivery agent.
:41:47. > :41:51.Interesting plans for port Warrington, are you excited? Let me
:41:51. > :41:55.say first of all I completely support this entire scheme. I think
:41:55. > :42:00.it is brilliant for the wider north-west. Our country is far too
:42:00. > :42:04.South East and London focused. These schemes will bring private
:42:04. > :42:11.infrastructure to the north-west. It is good news all round. In
:42:11. > :42:16.particular, we are no looking -- we are looking forward to welcoming
:42:16. > :42:21.port Warrington. I know we are working with your guys on one issue,
:42:21. > :42:25.but you will be putting more stuff up the ship canal. We have got
:42:25. > :42:30.swing bridges which, every time this wing, can cause up to one hour
:42:30. > :42:33.of destruction. Unfortunately, since the last on the canal was
:42:33. > :42:40.used a lot, Warrington has grown up and there is a lot more traffic. We
:42:40. > :42:48.are keen for that to be managed well. The port masterplan process
:42:48. > :42:52.was an extensive consultation. That was looking forward 20 years, to
:42:52. > :42:56.generate �500 million worth of investment, 1,000 jobs. We
:42:56. > :43:01.recognise through this process that there were four or five points that
:43:01. > :43:04.came out around the coastal reserve, around additional traffic at the
:43:04. > :43:11.Port of Liverpool, environmental issues, as well as this particular
:43:11. > :43:16.issue. It will be our intention to consult locally and get these
:43:16. > :43:21.issues aired. Let us see what Luciana things. There is an issue
:43:21. > :43:28.about Liverpool waterfront and whether it might used -- lose its
:43:28. > :43:31.World Heritage status, what is your view on that? Yes, concerns have
:43:31. > :43:38.been raised and Ocean Gateway has responded to them, they have
:43:38. > :43:41.reduced building heights. I am very supportive because it is going to
:43:41. > :43:47.bring billions of pounds' worth of investment into an area that
:43:47. > :43:52.desperately needs it. I am very excited about it, particularly at a
:43:52. > :43:58.time when unemployment is such an issue as in the 0. Thank you very
:43:58. > :44:03.much for coming in today. Now, it is time to take a look at the
:44:03. > :44:06.week's political news. Wirral Borough Council Labour
:44:06. > :44:08.leader Steve Foulkes has been forced out after a vote of no
:44:08. > :44:11.confidence. It comes after a council scandal over financial
:44:11. > :44:18.abuse of vulnerable people in local authority care. He's been replaced
:44:18. > :44:21.by the leader of the Conservative group, Jeff Green.
:44:21. > :44:24.More grim news on the jobs front. The number of people looking for
:44:24. > :44:32.work in the region has gone up by 26,000 in the past three months.
:44:32. > :44:37.One in 11 is now unemployed - Connor Ryan's one of them. I am a
:44:37. > :44:40.22-year-old, I live with my parents, I cannot provide former self. I
:44:40. > :44:43.want to work. Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd's
:44:43. > :44:46.formally thrown his hat in the ring for the Greater Manchester Police
:44:46. > :44:48.Commissioner job. If he wins the election, being held in November,
:44:48. > :44:51.he'll have to stand down from his parliamentary seat.
:44:51. > :44:53.And Manchester Airports Group is looking for a major new private
:44:53. > :44:56.investor to boost its chances of taking over Stansted or Edinburgh
:44:56. > :44:58.Airport. The group, owned by the ten Greater Manchester Councils,
:44:58. > :45:08.already runs airports in East Midlands, Bournemouth and
:45:08. > :45:10.
:45:10. > :45:17.Now, this week we have a special guest because we're joined by the
:45:17. > :45:20.Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband. We have been talking
:45:20. > :45:24.about rent -- regeneration of the north-west. One of the biggest
:45:24. > :45:28.criticisms laboured -- levelled at the last Labour government was too
:45:28. > :45:33.many jobs generated in the public sector rather than the private. Do
:45:33. > :45:37.you accept that? I don't, actually. Because if you look at what we were
:45:37. > :45:42.doing with Regional Development Agencies, which had been abolished,
:45:42. > :45:45.sadly, by this government, it was precisely about this issue. I
:45:45. > :45:49.welcome developments such as the Peel development which will bring
:45:49. > :45:53.much-needed jobs, but they are being cut in the job sector and not
:45:53. > :45:57.being replaced at the same pace in the private sector. That speaks to
:45:57. > :46:03.the fact that public sector and private sector jobs go hand in hand,
:46:03. > :46:08.rather than being opposite or contradictory. Would you be able to
:46:08. > :46:11.create more private sector jobs, do you think? This time, definitely.
:46:11. > :46:15.We have a government that is cutting and such a pace that there
:46:15. > :46:18.is not the kind of demand in the economy at the moment that is
:46:18. > :46:22.required for the private sector to be creating the jobs that we need
:46:22. > :46:26.to replace public sector jobs. That is the whole balance issue that the
:46:26. > :46:33.government is not getting right. That is why we say it is too far
:46:33. > :46:38.and too fast. You saw earlier about youth unemployment. I said we tax
:46:38. > :46:42.the bankers bonuses and use that money to create jobs. They are
:46:42. > :46:49.being taxed all kinds of things. is a Danish Kaneria youth
:46:49. > :46:56.unemployment has doubled in this region in the last year. -- it is a
:46:56. > :47:01.scandal. Speaking of the bankers, the criticism was that Labour is
:47:01. > :47:05.very focused on the City of London rather than regional growth. I am
:47:05. > :47:09.just wondering, in retrospect, should there have been more done to
:47:09. > :47:14.boost the private sector? I said our economy became too reliant on
:47:14. > :47:18.the City of London, that is true. We must make efforts to have job
:47:18. > :47:21.growth outside London. But getting rid of things like Regional
:47:21. > :47:24.Development Agencies, cutting too far and too fast, leaving young
:47:24. > :47:29.people out of work and creating a lost generation, that is absolutely
:47:29. > :47:34.not what we need. We need action to get those young people back into
:47:34. > :47:38.work. That is not just invention in -- investment in them, it is
:47:38. > :47:41.investment in our future. What I would like the Chancellor to do is
:47:41. > :47:47.take proper action on youth unemployment, pick up on some other
:47:47. > :47:51.things we were doing in government, and give some of those people hope.
:47:51. > :47:55.Can I ask you about the Peel thing? How much do you think this is about
:47:55. > :47:59.a private company like Peel saying we're going to do something like
:48:00. > :48:03.that? What can the government actually do? You have to work
:48:03. > :48:08.together, you have to work local organisations and councils working
:48:08. > :48:13.together with the private sector to make things happen. The whole media
:48:13. > :48:18.city we are sitting in at the moment is public and private
:48:18. > :48:24.working together. We need a banking sector that is properly serving the
:48:24. > :48:29.needs of industry. That is key. Miliband, thank you for coming in.
:48:29. > :48:34.David, we have seen it problems with these unemployment figures
:48:34. > :48:39.coming in again. What can we do? There is no doubt the unemployment
:48:39. > :48:46.figures are disappointing, particularly amongst young people.
:48:46. > :48:56.We need to redress that, and we are. This region's unemployment is a
:48:56. > :48:59.
:48:59. > :49:09.0.4%, the National rate is a 0.3%. -- eight-point 4%, the national
:49:09. > :49:10.
:49:10. > :49:16.rate is 8.3%. We do need to fix the imbalance, and schemes such as this
:49:16. > :49:22.partnership will. Are they doing enough, Luciana? No, they are not.
:49:22. > :49:26.In my constituency, unemployment is 11.2%. There is long-term
:49:26. > :49:32.structural unemployment there, isn't there? But the growth in
:49:32. > :49:35.unemployment is massive. This is the highest rate in 17 years. I
:49:35. > :49:39.have had people coming to visit me every week absolutely desperate to
:49:39. > :49:43.work. They want to work and the vacancy is just are not available.
:49:43. > :49:47.The private sector is not able to keep up pace with the public sector
:49:47. > :49:51.cuts because the demand is an air. That is why Labour is calling for
:49:52. > :49:55.things like a cut to VAT so we could instantly put �450 into the
:49:55. > :50:03.pocket of every family in the country so we can boost demand and