YOU ask for views on the proposed £7m redevelopment of the YMCA building on Deansgate.

As a retired Town Planning Consultant & Urban Designer, Member of Bolton & District Civic Trust and Chairman of Horwich Heritage, here are my comments to 'start the ball rolling' with your readers.

As most people will know, Bolton grew spectacularly in the Victorian/Edwardian age as a result of the cotton trade.

The enormous wealth generated by the textile merchants gave rise to the architecture that is still predominant in our town centre and gives it its distinctive character.

With the decline of 'King Cotton' in the latter half of the C20th, this original wealth has drained away and a whole new economic landscape has emerged both locally and nationally. The optimistic redevelopment of the 1960s/70s e.g. Crompton Place & Churchgate has given way to serious decline in the use of our town centre, leading to empty shops and deteriorating buildings. What is to be done?

Bolton Council has had ambitious plans to regenerate our town centre over a number of years which have been well-documented.

However, whilst these have been taking shape, things have continued to happen which have steadily eroded the character of the town centre, despite much of it being designated a 'Conservation Area'.

For example, in recent years we were promised that the elaborate terracotta face of the former Fire Station would be preserved when that building was redeveloped - it didn't happen and, despite much public protest, there was no attempt to retain the distinctive 'art deco' facade of Bolton Palais when that site was redeveloped.

As you will gather, there is a pattern here of the council, in its valid attempts to encourage new investment.development, allowing so-called 'modern' architecture to take precedence in the belief that it is a sign of progress.

As most people now realise, what you get with 'modern' architecture are sleek, efficient structures but you also get monolithic, soulless blocks without any attention to detail (computer -designed) or recognition of their surroundings or what went before.

And before you know where you are the character that made your town distinctive and worth visiting has gone (who wants to visit 1970s shopping centres?)

And so we come to the issue of the YMCA building.

Most people will recognise the quality of its elaborately detailed early C20th brick & stone face (on the upper two floors).

This is unique and once it has gone it cannot be replaced. We are told that major work would have to be done to bring the building up to today's standards (c.£500,000 +VAT ) - which we can well believe - and that this would be prohibitive.

Hence the logical decision to go for a new building.

We are then told that this building will take its design and materials references from the surrounding buildings eg, the Post Office and Le Mans Crescent.

It is difficult to recognise any of that from the illustration — and to leave a small section of the original entrance makes it look completely incongruous.

In my opinion, the answer has to be to do what they have done so successfully in Manchester town centre eg, Deansgate and retain the facade (identified as the key feature in the Heritage Assessment) whilst redeveloping the structure behind it (the part identified in the Building Condition Report as having the most serious problems).

This will be a test of the resolve of Bolton Council. The building is in a Conservation Area but there are no Conservation Officers to defend it. Will the officers be prepared to challenge the developers on this issue and require that they change their approach or will this building be yet another casualty in the gradual 'modernisation' of the town centre.

If we fail to make a stand here, then I can only see a succession of similar cases involving the likes of Prestons or Whittakers coming along down the line and of course the developers will all quote the YMCA as the precedent for how redevelopment should be tackled.

I would be interested to hear what other readers think. If they feel like I do, then they will need to object to application 04649/18 as soon as possible.

Stuart Whittle