Former mayor calls for demolition of BHS building

A former Stratford mayor has submitted a planning application to demolish the BHS building on Bridge Street when it closes, saying the structure is an eyesore that has plagued the town for years.

Cyril Bennis is calling for the building, which is soon to be vacated by BHS, to be torn down and that now is the perfect opportunity to improve that area of the town.

Mr Bennis has long campaigned for the demolition of the complex and submitted a previous application to bring it down in 1994 before BHS took over the building.

He has previously described it as a ‘wart on the townscape’ and led a one-man 12-hour demonstration against the over development of Stratford outside the original construction site.

He also helped organise a 1,000 signature petition against the development of the Mulberry Tree Centre in the late 80s.

Mr Bennis said: “This building is the ugliest and most embarrassing of any structure in Stratford. It’s such a negative building in our community and it’s time to knock it down. The bulk of the building is not in keeping with the historic centre of Stratford, it’s not balanced, it’s an absolute eyesore.

“There’s no doubt with BHS leaving that the building will put up for sale and we would like to work with any new developer that comes in. This is the ideal opportunity for us to rectify this mistake made 28 years ago and do something about it because the building has been shown not to be profitable.

“I would like to see a bus shelter incorporated as there is no room for one at the moment because the pavement is too narrow. It would be great if whatever is put there were to have some green space out the front too.”

A spokesperson for Stratford District Council said: “The District Council can confirm that an application has been submitted by Mr Cyril Bennis but there is currently insufficient information for it to be evaluated.

“The application includes no proposals for the site following the demolition and is currently invalid.”

Mr Bennis said he had expected this response and that he would work to flesh out his application with further details.

Built in the late 1980s the Mulberry Centre originally housed a number of small shop units before mounting debts forced its closure.

BHS took over the building in 1994 with Mothercare also occupying part of the site until its closure last June.

During this time the multi-unit building was reconfigured into one large department store complex.

Over the years efforts have been made to try and make the building more attractive, including a £20 million facelift with the addition of a new glazed extension.

A spokesperson for BHS confirmed that no date has been set for the closure of its Stratford store.

The group entered administration in early June with the expected loss of up to 11,000 jobs across its 164 stores in the UK.