Plans to demolish Gloucester's Peel Centre shops revealed

“20 years old?! Ageing buildings?! Tat being replaced by more tat.”

“Access will be awkward for IKEA from the Bristol Road end, also from Hempstead - there are any number of sites suitable for IKEA outside the central area served by major roads - IKEA customers will not be just from Gloucester central area - but from many miles around - and as such access/car parking space, etc, critical.

Given that IKEA sells a whole range of goods - local businesses will not welcome their setting up shop at the Peel Centre - will kill off Gloucester city centre completely.”

“Before you get too excited about a new cinema, bear in mind that as it's going to be on the Quays side you'll probably have to pay for parking (or take a chance on a ticket from the Peel side).

I went to the Breweries cinema with a friend a year or two ago and it cost us £3.50 to park which pretty much negated the Orange 2-4-1 deal.”

“Marked box junctions and enforcement cameras should do the trick!”

“I hope if they plan something like Ikea they have a serious look at the surrounding roads. If last weeks traffic debacle (Christmas Market) is anything to go by, it will make that side of Gloucester a no go area at weekends.”

“I can't wait for the cinema to move in and open in October with all those Restaurants.”

“TimMessanger - Yes - it all depends on QA in manufacture and installation - nothing new - medieval buildings were timber framed with infilled bricks or plaster/clay with lime coating - and agree if insulation/air separation cavities correctly installed, should last - but that is the crux - as you say is there a standard QA and are all builders trained well to do that?”

“Bomkin2003

Timber framed construction comes in many levels of completion;
sections with stirling board on one side. (cheep and nasty)
sections with stirling board on one side with breathable membrane attached. (this is how prefab started in the uk)
sections with stirling board on one side cable cable and pipe ways drilled and membrane
Sections with stirling board, cable and pipe conduits installed, packed with insulation and 2 membranes (just add plasterboard and an outside skin)

There where a lot of problems with timber framed houses in the UK not caused by the design but thy the installation by unqualified builders. Knocking holes in panels to put a rope through to lift rather than using eye bolts through the pre drilled lifting points, damaging the membrane and either not repairing the damage or not correctly repairing the damage allowing ingress of water into the timer framed structure.

A properly constructed and treated timber framed building should last for hundreds of years and has a lower cost of construction, lower carbon footprint. How old is the new inn?”

“Walker100 - I won'ttrust my Grannie but agree with you about timber-frame construction, but not about cheap Eastern Europeans.

Timber-frames are O.K but unless factory finished, and if damp-proof, etc, not carefully installed, life can get short. Brick cavities a little more forgiving.

Building costs for an average 3 bed house can be as low as ~£70K - but the cost is made up of land, and developer mark-up - together some 60 to 70% of a typical house.

U.K businesses are greedier than their counterparts in many European countries including Germany or even the US. I have no problem with a competitive market place, but most businesses in the U.K are not competitive, many prices rigged.”

“I tell you what would be good, why don't they just rename it from 'the peel centre' to something like 'wagon works retail park' how many of the younger people in Gloucester have no idea of the history of life before the peel centre.”