'Temporary' shops in Hull's Ferensway to be demolished ... after 65 years
A ROW of 'temporary' shops in Ferensway are finally set to be demolished after 65 years.
The ramshackle set of buildings have all been vacated, having once housed takeaways, music shops and carpet stores.
It was also the home of Hull Council of Disabled People, which has now moved down the road.
Hull City Council, which owns the site, is set to demolish the eight buildings in the new year.
This Friday Mexican night at The Black Bull, Burton Pidsea, Two...
View detailsIndulge with our delicious range of specially selected Mexican dishes available from 5pm to 8:30pm this Friday 21st June. Traditional evening menu also available.
Terms: Terms: Friday the 21st June only, from 5pm to 8:30pm. Offer includes two main Mexican courses. Minimum 2 people dining.
Contact: 01964 770402
Valid until: Saturday, June 22 2013
NPS Humber Ltd will carry out the demolition work, which should take just under three months to complete.
A council spokesman said: "The demolition of the properties in Ferensway is due to begin early in the new year and completed in March.
"This will include adding screening along the frontage."
The land has not been designated for any particular use but it is likely the land will be used for office space rather than further retail use.
The council spokesman said: "The demolition will open up the site for development and regeneration opportunities, which we expect will gain interest from developers open to expressions of interest.
There was anger among traders when they were told the units in Ferensway would be demolished just weeks after St Stephen's opened in September 2007, having put up with months of disruption during the development.
The businesses battled road closures, falling sales and even had to lay off staff due to construction work on the major development opposite their stores.
The shops had been clinging on in the hope that, once open, the £200m development would attract much-needed new trade to the area.
The row of shops had been leased out by the council and were built as "temporary" structures in 1947 .
Councillor Stephen Bayes, portfolio holder for economic regeneration, said: "I am pleased this work is finally going ahead.
"The plan is to demolish the shops and clear the site so we can trigger some interest.
"We will have to see who comes forward and we will work in partnership with any developer.
"A hotel could be built on the site but Hull is also very short of grade A office space."
Selling the land could provide the council with a much-needed cash injection.
Cllr Bayes said: "We are not going to spend lots of money tarting up the site, we just want to make sure it is secure.
"Selling the land would make us some money as it is prime land near to St Stephen's Shopping Centre and close to the train station.
"But we will not sell it unless we are happy with the development.
"We allocated money earlier this year for strategic demolition and I am pleased to see this going ahead."
Comments
by funky15
Thursday, December 06 2012, 3:52AM
“where do u live counciller bayes?”
by funky15
Thursday, December 06 2012, 3:38AM
“non of the proposers live in hull, i have worked for 25 years and u have recked my retirement, as like these shops have fought hard to survive, shame on you !”
by plebsunited
Thursday, December 06 2012, 12:42AM
“The old black and white photo looks very evocative. Poor old Hull back in 1955, looking beleaguered and battered – ten years after getting a pounding during the war and still in want of investment. We survived then by the skin of our teeth and we will still. I love this city. xxx”
by dascodave
Wednesday, December 05 2012, 11:24AM
“Use the area for the building of a pedestrianised enclosed footbridge that spans ferensway to the shopping centre on the other side thus eliminating all the deaths by bus and other accidents that have happened since the cronicly bad modernisation of the road layout and building of st stephens,leaving the traffic to flow unindered through the city centre and out the other side...”
by Donna_Kebab1
Wednesday, December 05 2012, 11:04AM
“Sooner the better!”
by SPBlakeney
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 10:41PM
“@ stantheman, brace yourself, the council plan a horrendous cubist, modernist glass/metal..thing...on the former LAs site. So much for a coherent, architecturally sympathetic city landscape. At least they tried with the Cherry Court tax building which is easy on the eye. As if that black brick horror Hull Truck didnt make city centre look grim enough.”
by BevRoadNorth
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 10:30PM
“At last!!!! And they thought Rediffusion on Beverley Road took a whiel to sort out, blimey...next, please get rid of The Swan Pub and that advertising board over the derelict cinema. It's all well commemorating the War, but a bomb site isnt attractive as an urban frontage!”
by thesnooper
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 10:22PM
“@ stantheman
i know the buildings you mean, the petrol station was there at the same time, it didnt replace the buildings.
i think there is still stone gate posts on that site which led to the entrance”
by thesnooper
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 10:19PM
“ferensway looks way better back then, then it does now it looks a lot cleaner and less cluttered”
by stantheman
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 9:35PM
“I remember the impressive Government Buildings which fronted Spring Bank getting bulldozed to free up the area for development over 20 years ago despite huge public opposition, but the council knew better. Today its a derelict site although we have to be grateful for a Tesco Express and petrol station that moved onto a corner of the site. Therefore I predict this site be empty like the site of the LA;s nightclub across the road. And the Edwin Davis building.”