The Princesshay Redevelopment - Page 4

Summer weather and rapid progress

The Princesshay development by Land Securities is well advanced now. I am still taking photos on a weekly basis, but as changes are quite subtle, I will only post them every 2 to 3 weeks. I have prepared the illustrations on the left to show the finished Princesshay

This illustration shows the progress so far. The section along Paris Street and in the centre of the development are at the foundation stage at the moment. The solid parts in the illustration include sections that are steel frame only. 30th July 2006

Two cement tanks have appeared by the new Eastgate House in the High Street. They are attracting a concrete audience! 31st July 2006

A view down the new Princesshay, towards Paris Street, from Bedford Street. The new Debenhams, right, has had most of its cladding completed. 31st July 2006

19th August 2006 - there are still gaps to be filled in the development, but the shape of the new Princesshay is emerging.

A new section, along Paris Street, has been added to Eastgate, and the footprint of this building is now defined. 19th August 2006

4th September 2006 - It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain photos as so much work is taking place in the centre of the site. However, I have managed to obtain a photo of part of Blue Boy Square and have also included a photo showing the progress in Paris Street.

The tower structure that will be in one corner of Blue Boy Square. The photo was taken from Southernhay - the dark structure on the the left is the edge of Broadwalk House. 4th September 2006

The eastern end of the new East Gate House is now defined. The rest of the structures along Paris Street still have to emerge. 4th September 2006

14th September 2006 - The whole site is now seeing activity above ground and reinforced concrete and steel is filling in all the gaps.

I was struck by the crane behind the new Eastgate and the blue covering over the scaffolding. Although still a skeleton of iron, all the floors are in and the walls will start to appear soon. 14th September 2006

The small size of the two workers show well just how large the new Debenhams building is - this is the corner of the new Princesshay and Bedford Street. 14th September 2006

30th September 2006 - We are well into Autumn now and the weather is wet. New areas of work include Bedford Street up to the High Street, which has been dug up for services to be put in - the farmers market were moved out last week.

A complex of steel girders, scaffolding and cranes make a pleasing composition - the little protruding windows in the new buildings can be seen quite clearly. 30th September 2006

The opposite end of the development, by the Civic Centre is using a lot of concrete, probably because it is the service entrance to the underground delivery area and needs to be fireproof. Paris Street is behind. 30th September 2006

16th October 2006 - A damp day does not stop the work - the site along Bedford Street is more open for the spectator and good views can be obtained down the new precinct. There is a lot of machinery in use - even a wheelbarrow!

A view down the new Princesshay. The large, rectangular hole in the centre ground is going to be a sewage holding tank - lovely.... 16th October 2006

'If we use some extra BluTac on this section, that should hold it together' - two construction workers, on a hoist, discussing the plans for part of the new shopping complex. 16th October 2006

26 October 2006 - Autumn weather and the work goes on - The mess that is Bedford Street should  improve once the block laying is finished.

A view through the green mesh surrounding the work in Bedford Street. They are laying a new block pavement where the Lord Courtenay Statue used to be. There is an inflatable cover over the work to keep the rain off. If I had had some peanuts..... 26 October 2006

The corner of the new Princesshay showing Debenhams to the right and the northern side of the new precinct in the centre. In its present state it looks rather brutal. 26 October 2006

2nd November 2006 - I was just passing today, on the way to somewhere else, when I noticed them glazing the front of the new Debenhams, so I had to get a shot for the essay.

They are glazing the front entrance to the new Debenhams, As you can see, it is highly reflective. A little bird told me that they had managed to break at least one pane of glass so far, which must have been expensive.

2nd November 2006

This is the new restaurant that will be on one side of Bedford Square. They are using a lot of glass in this structure - there are panels of glass protruding at right angles, for decorative effect. It's all a bit like a aquarium - perhaps it's gong to be a fish restaurant. 2nd November 2006

16th November 2006 - Tonight was the turning on of the Christmas lights, so I took the opportunity to take some shots of the development.

The new Next from the old Debenhams just before it became dark. The building is starting to look solid - from the street you can see that many of the windows are in place behind the scaffolding. The stage for Noel Edmonds to switch on the Christmas lights can be seen in the bottom right. See Noel Edmunds for photos of the switch on.

16th November 2006

For the second week in a row I have included the restaurant in Bedford Square - It is like an aquarium as demonstrated by the view of the Cathedral tower through the glass wall. You can clearly see the glass roof - it will be a devil to keep clean!

16th November 2006

30th November 2006 - The development is really moving on, so I'm uploading four photographs for your delectation.

With Debenhams on the right, the new Bedford Street is emerging. Scaffolding has been taken down and the facades of the buildings exposed to the public view for the first time. Apart from the hideous Debenhams, I will give a tentative thumbs up to the other side of the street.
30th November 2006

The new glass restaurant also looks, well, interesting. Its a pity its so high, but it does contrast well with what's around it. And you can see bits of the cathedral towers above and through the glass.
30th November 2006

They have removed the wooden walkway, and moved the pedestrian pavement to under the new Debenhams. Work on the paving is progressing well. A bunch of Portuguese workers have been brought in to lay some Portuguese blocks outside the front of Debenhams, and the result is pretty classy - pity about the building.
30th November 2006

Smile and watch the birdie! A surveyor is checking to make sure the levels are OK - I would say the wall looks decidedly bent. This is the entrance to the roof top car park in Paris Street. The entrance is from Southernhay. This area has made the least progress so far.
30th November 2006

14th December 2006 - I've uploaded two photos of the new Debenhams to give an idea of what it looks like.

The front of the new Debenhams - note the wooden infill in the centre. That's the section that was broken when they were fitting it, a month ago.
14th December 2006

The side of the new Debenhams that leads into the Princesshay precinct. I believe the top glass section is the restaurant that will give views of the Cathedral. The glass sections look like a stuck-on after thought to me - nothing integrates into the base building.
14th December 2006

2nd January 2007 - A new year and 22 months after demolition started, the Princesshay Redevelopment is starting to look, if not finished, at least well on the way to being finished. The whole lot is a huge curates egg - some quite interesting bits and a shame about Debenhams.

Another view down the new Princesshay precinct reveals the roofing in place for the covered section. The curved wall on the right is the end of Debenhams, while the projecting windows on the left may give the building a mediaeval feel. The design is a change from the usual, flat concrete and glass facades - it's a pity about Debenhams' flat concrete and glass facade (I'm sure the interior will be a very nice shopping experience).
2nd January 2007

The restaurant that will line one side of the new Bedford Square is looking, even in its unfinished state, quite interesting. Little details, such as the etched designs on the glass help to soften its rectangular shape. The paving is being laid, so hopefully, this side of the square will be opened to the public quite soon. The workers are obviously still warming up for work after the Christmas break....
2nd January 2007

15th January 2007 - More photos from the Bedford Street end of the development. The Paris Street end is not nearly so interesting but I'll take some photos from there next time. 

The street of a thousand scaffolding poles....
Princesshay is a mass of vertical and horizontal iron as workers are starting to fill in the sides of the buildings and apply the facade.
15th January 2007

Two workers discussing how much Windowlene they will need to clean this little lot. Signs along the side proclaim that Debenhams will open in the Autumn, and judging by the view through the windows, they are right. It's a large, dark, empty cavern at the moment.
15th January 2007

27th January 2007 - As promised, here are two photos of the redevelopment at Paris Street and the top of Southernhay. 

With Paris Street on the right, the redevelopment from Eastgate, downwards, is clearly visible. The building on the corner will be a car park, with retail units below, lining Paris Street. Far more reinforced concrete is being used on this section.
27th January 2007

The partly completed ramp at the top of Southernhay - this will lead to parking on several floors and on the roof of this building.
27th January 2007

10th February 2007 - Bedford Square and Next are this weeks photos of the redevelopment. It was a damp and misty day, with low cloud, which made for an interesting photo from Debenhams of the new Next.

A wide angle shot of Bedford Square. The inflatable cover is in place to allow the laying of the blocks in the wet, and it has been wet. You can see the sort of view of the Cathedral that can be obtained from the new square.
10th February 2007

The buildings down Paris Street are now taking shape on a dark and dingy day. Much of the steelwork is in place on top of the concrete ramps and supports for the car park. The next building will start to look completed when the green netting is removed.
10th February 2007

23rd February 2007 - A wet, grey day, aren't they all and work continues. Almost the whole of Bedford Street is now paved, although they are starting to dig bits of the new paving up again - great planning!

The shops opposite the entrance to the new Debenhams are almost complete, and should be open by the end of March. 23rd February 2007

A BBC Spotlight cameraman and crew was at Bedford Street filming the latest stage of the new precinct. I thought I would put him in the spotlight for  change. 23rd February 2007

10th March 2007 - A spring like day for photographs and some of the Bedford Street shops are only a few days from opening. The E&E reported this week, that Hobbs were taking space in the new development, and that the Council and Land Securities have definitely reneged on their pledge to demolish the old Debenhams.

The new Eastgate House that will be the Exeter branch of Next is partly unshrouded on a clear and bright, March day. There is still a lot of work to be done lower down, but the occasional worker can be spotted in the top section, looking like a lost goldfish.  10 March 2007

A huge banner reminding the patient public, that they can start their shopping orgy in the Autumn, has been erected over the Bedford Street shops.10 March 2007

15th March 2007 - A couple of photos of the new Next showing the top floor uncovered.

This photograph taken from Roman Walk; the cover of the walkway frames the new Eastgate which will house Next. To get the whole lot in, the lens has distorted the image in a rather interesting way.  15 March 2007

The usual view from Debenhams shows how much higher the new Next will be in comparison with the buildings around. It will probably look more elegant when the blue petticoat has been removed to reveal the building in all its naked splendour. (oh dear waxing lyrical again!) 15 March 2007