The future of an iconic former newspaper office remains unclear while city planning chiefs await more information from the company aiming to demolish it.
As previously reported on HTFP, the ship-shaped former headquarters of the Western Morning News and Plymouth Herald have been earmarked for demolition by its owner Daily Mail and General Trust.
Historic England, formerly known as English Heritage, has recommended the building, pictured below, be given listed status by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, saving it from the wrecking ball.
But no decision has yet been made and its future remains in the balance as Plymouth City Council says it is still awaiting more information about the plans from DMGT.
A spokeswoman for the authority told the Herald: “The owners served us with a notice of their intention to demolish, but we have asked them for more information, which we have yet to receive.
“Once this has been submitted to us we have 25 days to comment on it. We are still waiting for more information from the owners DMGT.”
The award-winning building, designed by architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, housed the sister dailies between 1993 and 2013 before they moved to a base closer to Plymouth city centre.
DMGT, which retained the ownership of the building after the papers were sold to Local World, has not yet commented on the plans to demolish the building.
Planning documents state it is “unviable” and in a “poor state of repair” – with no prospective buyers coming forward.
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Plea to all journalists: please, please, please stop using the word iconic. None of the people, places or objects it’s attached to are ever actually iconic. Plus, it’s so overused it’s now virtually meaningless anyway. Come on, we’re creative people, operating in the richest language on earth, please think of another adjective – or just don’t use one.
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Bring on the wrecking ball. It’s an eyesore.
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Yep Will, I’m with you all the way on iconic – horribly over-used word. Re. The ‘Ship’, I worked there years ago and it didn’t feel or look like a ship on the inside (unless you mean a sinking one). The only time it looked like a ship was outside at night when all the lights were on. Seems a shame to demolish such a big building though. What would they replace it with?
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Will Telford – come off it! I have used the word iconic for ever, and I for one think it would be a tragedy if I couldn’t use a quite unique word. In fact, back in the day it ticked all the right boxes for me, and I would be gutted if it wasn’t there!
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How old are you, confused – 20?!! No one used the word iconic until about 15 years ago. There’s always a more appropriate word you can use – such as famous, historic, landmark, unique, exceptional, emblematic …. I could go on, but hopefully you get my drift.
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With you both 100 per cent, William Telford and Journo Watch. ‘Iconic’ is just a lazy catch-all word thrown in by reporters who cannot be bothered to think of something more appropriate, or to actually apply their brains to imagine why the thing in question is important.
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I agree with Journo Watch, Mr or Ms Confused. There is nothing wrong with using iconic in the right context, but even then its vast overuse has damaged its currency. It’s become an adjective chucked in front of any noun rather than the writer coming up with a more appropriate alternative.
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Journo watch – I don’t think you picked up on the tone of Confused’s comment.
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It’s a fair cop, guv!
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Doh! I’ve just got the irony, and wit, in Confused’s comment.
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