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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Alan Weston

Demolition leads to fears there will be 'nothing left' of Liverpool

The latest demolition job has led to fears Liverpool city centre is becoming unrecognisable.

Last year, plans were submitted to convert Audley House, the current site of TJ Hughes on London Road, into a new residential complex with 266 apartments. The proposals came as the former Hughes House next door was gutted to make way for almost 250 apartments.

It comes as a report from Save Britain's Heritage - a charity campaigning to rescue historic old buildings - claimed Liverpool's department stores are facing a crisis thanks to the pandemic and rapidly changing shopping patterns.

READ MORE : Denise Van Outen's message to Liverpool after day out in city

The report details the fortunes of 46 of the UK's most significant department store buildings, eight of which are situated in Liverpool - the most out of any city included in the report. Save Britain's Heritage argues that 18 of these former high street fixtures are now at serious risk of being lost forever.

This is what ECHO readers had to say after we ran the story.

Karen Kyriacou said: "In 50 years' time when our young ones look back into the city's heritage, they won't have any buildings to look at and visit at this rate. Stop neglecting and demolishing our city."

Irene Riley said: "There will be nothing left of Liverpool except flats for students. Bad enough they knocked down Futurist and Scala picture house for Lidl. If these young people just had a glimpse of what Liverpool was really like."

Peter Rogan said: "Many people don't realise and won't realise until it's too late what damage they are doing to their own high street and own city centre. Online shopping, online banking etc is destroying jobs, destroying communities."

TJ Hughes iconic department store,Hughes House, being demolished on London Road (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Lyn Harper said: "Liverpool won't have many historical buildings left for future generations to see which is very sad. Wake up Liverpool council."

Carol Fitzsimmons said: "Those beautiful buildings cost a lot to build in the first place so they should be preserved and made use of again."

Irene Williams said: "Sad to lose old iconic buildings that stood strong throughout the test of time. Stripping the city till it looks like a metropolis of boxes."

Beth Rodgers said: "Other cities preserve their heritage and beautiful buildings why can't Liverpool."

Alex Louise said: "They're all going, there's absolutely not one landmark store left in this city, it's just rammed with student flats. Enough is enough. Leave the place alone."

Gary Mcgurty said: "It's all about stripping away our history and replacing it with flats that a lot of locals can't even afford."

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