Photographs have revealed 'shocking' conditions inside a city centre car park owned by property developer Elliot Lawless.
The pictures show smashed CCTV cameras, vandalised fire doors and what appears to be human excrement on the floor of Beetham Plaza car park. Ventilation equipment appeared damaged and large parts of the car park appeared to have suffered from water ingress.
The ECHO has seen emails from Beetham Plaza residents in which they have complained about 'people living in tents' inside the car park. One email claimed residents were 'living in fear' due to the many ongoing issues.
READ MORE: Council claim Elliot Lawless was invoiced in £240k rent row
Mr Lawless said he accepted 'responsibility' for the car park's cleanliness. He said that he had ordered a deep clean and put a static security guard on duty.
He acquired the lease to Beetham Plaza car park in July 2019 with the rent set at £94,000 per year. Last month the ECHO revealed Beetham Car Plaza Limited, the company set up to manage the car park by Mr Lawless, did not pay any rent over a 30-month period.
A spokesman for Mr Lawless told the ECHO he had not been billed during the 30 month period but would pay now that he had been 'finally' been invoiced. The council responded saying Mr Lawless was invoiced - though Mr Lawless insists the company has no record of receiving an invoice before August this year.
On Wednesday evening ( September 7) councillor Alan Gibbons raised the issue of the car park at a meeting of the finance and resources select committee. Speaking after the meeting Cllr Gibbons said to the ECHO: "The photographs reveal shocking conditions inside a car park where Elliot Lawless avoided paying rent to the council worth over £240,000 during a 30 month period.
"As I said at the meeting, everybody should pay what they owe, but we should be much firmer in getting them to pay if they are wealthy property developers.”
Last week councillor Nick Small told a select committee meeting that the car park "feels insecure and unsafe". Mr Small also said that cars had been vandalised and that rough sleeping had taken place inside the car park. Cabinet member Cllr Sarah Doyle told the meeting that the car park needed £693,000 worth of repairs and maintenance.
Mr Lawless, speaking to the ECHO earlier this week, said that the car park's cleanliness was "far from satisfactory". He said: “I accept that the car park’s cleanliness is far from satisfactory and I take responsibility for that. As of yesterday (Monday) we placed a 24-hour static guard on site to protect residents and users. This will also eliminate all anti-social behaviour whilst we transfer the operation from an automated system back to a manned service. Residents have been informed of this.
“We have commenced a deep clean of the premises and this will continue until we are satisfied that the car park is to an acceptable level. My priority remains the comfort and security of car park users and residents of Beetham Plaza and I will do my best to ensure that these new standards are maintained.”
Last week a spokesman for Liverpool Council said: "We have surveyed the car park and calculated that it needs £693,000 spending on repair, maintenance and mechanical and electrical works. e are waiting for a formal response from Beetham Plaza Car Park Ltd as to when they plan to undertake the work. We have advised them we will be taking legal action if they do not comply.”
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