Demolition day draws near for Telford's Green Shed
It's the next step in the changing face of Telford. The former Do It All and Focus store, known as The Green Shed, has blighted the face of the town for a number of years.
Now The Green Shed, standing between the £250 million Southwater development and the new Asda Malinsgate, is being torn down ready for the next major revamp of Telford's Shopping Centre.
The site will be used for the Southern Quarter, a hub of restaurants and shops that form one part of the £200m redevelopment masterplan for Telford Shopping Centre.
Tim Binnington, chairman of Sovereign Land Management LTD, the company overseeing the work, said: "We have been doing bits already as the start of the project but this will be the first substantial progress that people will be able to see.
"The Green Shed has been a bit of an eyesore and it really stands out next to all these new developments, Southwater and the Asda."
This year marks Telford Shopping Centre's 40th anniversary and Mr Binngton said the new developments marked a new chapter in the Shopping Centre's story.
"There is new investment in the area," he said. "I notice that the council is doing an enormous amount of work at the moment, what is happening is very exciting."
Demolition contractors, Shrewsbury-based building company LG Blower and RVC Demolition from Church Stretton, took control of the building yesterday to begin the demolition, which will take around 10 weeks.
The Green Shed was built in the early 1980s as WHSmith Do-It-All, which later became Focus and then The Range.
It has had a number of short-term tenants since the redevelopment of Southwater began.
Councillor Kuldip Sahota, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "We are really excited about this.
"People are always asking me what is happening with the Green Shed, because it is a bit of an Ugly Duckling between Southwater and the new Asda, so I am glad it is disappearing.
"There are a lot of things happening in Telford, boosting the local economy - and not just in the town centre.
"In Brookside we have just opened the new shops, we have our fingers crossed about MOD Donnington, that is a big one.
"There is the Hadley regeneration as well, where the second phase is nearing completion.
"It is really exciting what is going on, it is all creating more jobs which is good for the Telford economy."
