One stage left to complete

Press, 11 May 1989, Page 35

One stage left to complete

One more stage of expansion is planned before the Guthrey Centre is complete. It will include the development of the Lichfield Street area between the car park and Ballantynes, which is owned by Ballantynes and. Dores For Floors. Part of the redevelopment will be an expansion of the Ballantynes basement to allow for the easier flow of traffic. A basement area under the present Guthrey Centre could easily be joined to this new basement. The ground level will contain more retail outlets with further car parking provided on the upper floors. The managing director of Guthrey Holdings, Mr Peter Guthrey, said that the retail area could consist of several small shops, or maybe two much larger stores. "What we would ideally like to see in place is a large supermarket. There is

not one in the area and we believe there is a definite demand in the city centre for such an outlet,” he said. The development of the whole centre has been closely tied in with the amount of carparking available. Bells Arcade was purchased in 1984 by a consortium consisting of Guthrey Holdings, Ltd, J. Ballantyne and Company, Curtis Ring House and Dores for Floors. The Bates Building is owned by Guthrey Holdings and was redeveloped last year at ground level in Stage 1. This was the arcade entry from Cashel Street to the Lichfield Street carpark extension, and its new lift and stairwell. The redevelopment of Bells Arcade has been completed by Guthrey Holdings and Curtis Ring House. The Ballantynes-Dores for Floor development is expected to be completed in two years.