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What lies beneath the scaffolding?
NOW that the scaffolding is being removed from the new Kingsway development, your readers may recall the serious reservations which were expressed when plans were first revealed for this important site, which might be seen as a gateway into Lancaster.
The sheer size and bulk of the building which confronts those approaching the city along Caton Road is either wonderfully impressive or totally dominating, depending on one's view; it is certainly massively out of scale with its surroundings.
Those who saw the artist's impressions, which you featured before building started, may have been prepared for the size of the structure, but the random pattern of orange coloured timber cladding comes as a shock and has all the aesthetic attraction of recycled packing cases.
Where else in this city, which English Heritage, in its opposition to the Centros development, fancifully hails as the Bath of the North, can one find a timber-clad building? How will it weather over the years, subjected not only to the variable climate but also the pollution rising from this, Lancaster's busiest traffic island?
No doubt opinions will differ between those who view this as a bold iconic statement or as an intrusive eyesore. I wonder what your readers think?
Hugh Roberts
Barton Road
Lancaster
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Weather for Lancaster
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
