Luton

[Nemesis]

Nowhere is safe is it?

06/10/2007 Last remaining Victorian Luton to be bulldozed

If the Mall Arndale owners get their way it will mean that substantial areas of Victorian Luton will be bulldozed to make way to enlarge the center. According to their model of the Bute Street expansion it means buildings like The Engine, The Coopers Arms and many in Cheapside right up the Great Northern pub (which just survives) will be flattened to make way for a glass and steel extension to the mall. This is to create a huge retail area in a mall that already has many units un-let. The proposed plan has a target of four years so if you have a business in Cheapside or want to preserve some of Luton's historical buildings THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW! The best approach is to contact the Council's planning department and write to the Mall owners. Although ShoutLuton are very much in favor of the George's Square entrance and other improvements we believe that the Bute Street entrance improvements can be done without destroying our precious remaining turn of the century architecture.


http://www.shoutluton.com/

 

[jocelyn plummer]

There is nothing left of Luton anyway. I taught in Luton from 1967-71. I used to walk from the bus station to the school, the walk took me through the High Street, which was all lovely family run shops, then along a street of Victorian tenement houses. Those houses belonged to the Hat makers; at 8 am the hat makers would be standing outside their front doors, arms akimbo, hair in rollers,chatting. Through the open doors I could see the hats on their stands in the front rooms. In 1971 Luton Council decided to knock the whole lot down to make way for high rise flats, the Arndale was built, the High Street became a mess, the school where I taught was closed, the hat factories have gone.. I could go on but do not want to show my colours re the Luton community of today, sufficient to say the real Lutonians have died out or moved to the outskirts, and one of my closest friends is a senior police officer there with tales of horror to tell. Anything would be an improvement.

 

[peter-300]

I was born in Luton and I am horrified by this proposal. Why ahven't they learnt form the mistakes of the 1970s re: the Arndale Centre. This is the only area of character left and would be a shame to be lost. This will not be an improvement Jocelynn!It is true that all the real Lutonions have left and gone, I was oen of them!

 

[Nemesis]

I so agree. Why not retain and re-use the historic buildings?

Regeneration is about more than demolition and more clone town buildings.

The latter make more cash for developers usually however, and local authorities are only too easily lead by the nose.

 

[Nemesis]

Latest:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=725&storycode=3105539&c=1&encCode=000000000144b137

 

[Nemesis]

More and pics:

http://www.victorian-society.org.uk/news/8986/hat_trick_of_destruction_planned_for_lutons_historic_heart.html

 

[Nemesis]

EH doesn't like it either:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3108826&c=2