Lewis's is to close 300 jobs to go-The Regeneration Con Continues.

Today it is announced that 300 staff are to lose their jobs as Lewis's in Renshaw Street is to close. The pathetic Catherine Jones working for the Oldham Echo reviewed the new book that records its sorry state and gets put right by people leaving comments for not doing her research http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/02/20/reminder-of-forgotten-glamour-in-liverpool-store-lewis-s-1950s-time-capsule-100252-25873874/ It was blitzed during the war.
I knew there was something going on when it was listed. This will be around the time that all the plans were laid before Henry Owen-John, the regional development director of English Heretics. http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/henry-owen-john-english-heretic.html  
David Bartlett today reports.
LIVERPOOL’S famous Lewis’s store is to close.

The firm must move out by June due to the massive redevelopment of its the Ranelagh Street building..
Around 300 “devastated” staff members are set to lose their jobs.
David Thompson, who owns the store, said there was no guarantee it would reopen once the building work was finished in around two years time.
Developers Merepark have ambitious plans to create a £160m Central Village around the store which will include new hotels, leisure space, retail outlets and restaurant space.
“It is with great regret that we have to announce the closure of Lewis’s store, as our lease with Merepark expires in June,” said Mr Thompson.
“It has now become apparent from Merepark that once the scheduled works commence it would be impossible for us to continue trading from within this building, however we will continue talking to the landlord about possible space within any new development but at this stage no new lease has been agreed.”
He said all orders would be honoured as the store starts the process of selling off £5m of stock.
A full scale closing down programme will start tomorrow and it will only be a matter of weeks before the store, founded by David Lewis 154 years go closes its doors for the last time.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news//tm_headline=liverpool-s-lewis-s-store-to-close%26method=full%26objectid=25887797%26siteid=100252-name_page.html

This is because of a central village scheme which Warren Bradley...why is he always apearing to be on the side of the developers. We all know he was put into the spot by Clever Trevor Jones (who in my opinion was a spiv)  http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/09/trevor-jone-steps-down-good-riddance.html and Mike Storey, but how can Bradley really be so short sighted or disinterested in Liverpool shopworkers jobs.
Last week in the local papers a spat broke out over the Central village scheme http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2010/02/19/clash-over-affordable-housing-in-liverpool-city-centre-schemes-92534-25868341/  
PLANS to build two skyscrapers behind Liverpool’s Central station came under fire last night for not containing enough affordable housing.

Liverpool Council’s Labour group is opposing the £100m Central Village project, claiming it could “price ordinary people out of the market”.
But Liberal Democrat council leader Cllr Warren Bradley said the city could not afford to risk driving developers away from investing by imposing limits on new schemes.
 But Liverpool’s current housing strategy declares the “development of significant low-cost market housing or affordable home ownership in the city centre should not be encouraged”.

Last night, the Liberal Democrats said a balance should be struck across the city.
Cllr Bradley said: “It is easy to talk about social and affordable housing, but to me it is about long-termism.
“Every development which comes into the city has to be judged on its own merits.”
Councillor Bradley is not very clever in my opinion.

Rapid Hardware was the longest shop front in the country and as such is now the longest empty shop front in the country. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/08/20/liverpool-one-developer-grosvenor-buys-old-rapid-hardware-site-100252-24490295/ What is the point in doing up one part of the city to let another face decay.   http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/08/grosvenor-pool-new-name-for-liverpool.html I have watched Peter pay Paul all my life. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/03/13/180m-liverpool-central-village-scheme-set-to-start-in-autumn-64375-20617750/