LETTER: Jumping gun on demolition

You wrote about “... the demolition project, which has seen The Gildredge pub razed to the ground along with Argos and the Wimpy ...”

You’re jumping the gun a bit with your last statement. The Gildredge pub was indeed the first to disappear but both Argos and Wimpy are still as yet untouched, at least their Terminus Road frontages, although the rear of the Argos premises has been removed in the past few days.

Regarding the buildings that face or once faced onto Terminus Road, here is a list of those that have been removed already and those yet to be started on.

Gone are The Gildredge, Celly’s hairdressers (now moved across the road opposite), Poppins – Café – Restaurant, the Oxfam shop, the Kit Wilson charity shop, the Amplifon hearing aid centre (likewise transferred to the other side of the road), Replay entertainment exchange, and Rockwell’s café.

Still extant, but not for much longer, are South Coast Gifts, Argos, Wimpy, Nobles Amusements and Kwiktan Studios (relocated across the road as Admiral Casino and Kwiktan Studios), Specsavers (relocated to the Arndale Centre next to Starbucks Coffee) and the former Watson’s newsagents (long since moved into the eastern end of the Arndale Centre) and which briefly became the Inside Out shop before closing for the second time.

That’s the full extent of the premises due for imminent demolition along Terminus Road, after which the back wall of the former Bonmarché shop will be removed, followed by the HMV and NEXT stores in their entirety.

Following on from the former newsagents are those shop units forming the outside part of the Arndale Centre which have recently received a £2 million facelift and look very smart indeed, namely Game, McDonald’s Restaurant, Starbucks Coffee, Specsavers, a small empty unit, the new glass atrium entrance, and finally the new MetroBank.

BARRY EARTHROWL

Cambridge Road