Glass Slug

From Chester Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Plans 3 Controversy 4 Cost 5 Electioneering 6 Post-election update 7 Debate

[edit] Introduction

The Glass Slug does not actually exist - Yet. If it ever does get built, it will be the most unpopular addition to Chester's architectural skyline ever. According to local polls in Chester's press, up to 98% of Cestrians are opposed to the erection of this planned replacement for the city council's offices.

The proposals for the Glass Slug go back several years, to the time when Chester City Council first signed a deal with ING Real Estate to redevelop a large swathe of the city centre. The development plans include replacing the Forum shopping centre with a much larger, two-storey shopping centre, knocking down the Gateway Theatre and the Market Hall. As Chester City Council's offices are sited within the Forum, there was a need to find new premises for council staff. It was decided that the car park at Gorse Stacks would become the site for a futuristic seven-storey glass office block. When the plans for the new building were revealed, it prompted one of the reporters at the Chester Standard to dub it "the Glass Slug" and the name has stuck ever since.

[edit] Plans

The Glass Slug is intended to be one of the buildings in the "Chester Renaissance" programme along with the Northgate Development. It was designed by Ian Simpson, the intention being for this proposed landmark building to be transparent and have a feeling of openness.

Images of the proposed development can be found here.

[edit] Controversy

Ever since the architect drawings for the Slug were published, the development has been the subject of heated debate among Cestrians. Opposition to the proposal is a regular topic on the letters page of the Chester Chronicle as well as a regular news item. Most Cestrians believe that, as well as depriving Chester city centre of one its few central car parks, it will damage Chester's architectural heritage. The controversy has spread beyond the city - Prince Charles (the Earl of Chester) has added his voice to the clamour of opposition.

Other reasons for opposing the Slug are:

• Fears of the huge amount of glass sitting in the centre of a major traffic intersection causing accidents if motorists are dazzled by light bouncing off the building on sunny days.

• A possible target for a terrorist attack. Since the bombing of London tube stations on 7 July 2005, it has been accepted the UK will be a target for further attacks by extremists. Major cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow have all increased their levels of security. However, some security experts believe a terrorist attack would more likely focus on a smaller city - York, Stratford-upon-Avon and Chester have all been cited as possible targets as the most heavily visited tourism centres in the UK, striking at the heart of British cultural heritage. A terrorist attack on the Slug would cause widespread damage because of the amount of glass.

[edit] Cost

The cost of building the Glass Slug has been estimated at £15 million. The council administration until 3 May 2007 (Lab/Lib-Dem) claimed the building will be worth £30 million on completion, taking into account the value of the land at Gorse Stacks.

[edit] Electioneering

Chester Conservatives have made the Glass Slug the centre of their City Council Election Campaigns since 2004. The campaign was considered as key to the Tories gaining the city centre ward in 2004. A Chester Conservative survey in autumn 2004 revealed that 98% of Chester residents opposed the new council offices. The campaign gained a fresh impetus in 2006 with the election of the Conservatives as the largest group on the city council.

In early March 2007, Chester Conservatives began their campaign to win control of Chester City Council in the local elections of 3 May 2007. A key part of their manifesto was to stop the building of the Glass Slug. To this end, they launched a now-defunct website, Kill The Slug, to bolster support for their campaign.

The Conservatives claimed to have located possible office space to rent for £500,000 a year. At 17 March 2007, these premises had yet to be revealed. The Kill The Slug website also revealed glaring contradictions in the Tory manifesto, which stated that the council will lose valuable income from the Gorse Stacks car park if building goes ahead, yet elsewhere claimed they would support the building of an arts centre on the Gorse Stacks site.

The deal with ING Real Estate to go ahead with the Glass Slug is due to be signed at the end of August 2007. [citation needed]

[edit] Post-election update

By 25 May 2007, the situation was as follows. The Conservatives had won control of Chester City Council in the election of 3 May 2007. Since then (to date), no public announcement has been made by the Conservative Party regarding their intention to block the plans for the Glass Slug. As the deadline is in August [citation needed], there is very little time left in which an announcement can be made regarding the future premises of the City Council. Furthermore, the Kill The Slug website now directs you to the Conservative Party of Chester's home page, where there is no information on the current status of the Slug.

On 30 May, Chester City Councillors met in closed session to formally adopt the policy to cancel the Glass Slug. The press and public were barred.

As of September 27th (Publicly at least) The Glass Slug HAS been successfully cancelled. (Chester Standard, 28/09/07 Edition)

[edit] Debate

The Glass Slug has triggered heated debate over its merit and necessity. Personal opinions expressed on this main page will be removed. If you want to express personal views on this controversial proposal, please use Glass Slug in the Forum.