LETTER OF THE DAY: Time to stop the Commercial Road rot

Commercial Road shopping centre? I think most of us would agree that the shopping centre is in decline, partly because a large number of us do our shopping online, including me.
The fountain in Commercial Road shopping precinct, Portsmouth
Picture: Ian Hargreaves  (102279-1)The fountain in Commercial Road shopping precinct, Portsmouth
Picture: Ian Hargreaves  (102279-1)
The fountain in Commercial Road shopping precinct, Portsmouth Picture: Ian Hargreaves (102279-1)

But to partly stop the rot how about something like this?

Take the Debenhams building next to the fountain, have the ground floor as Debenhams, which, I think, is struggling, the first floor as Marks & Spencer and the top floor for something like Knight & Lee.

The empty Marks & Spencer store could be turned into an indoor market, which are popular in the north of England, with individual stalls selling things such as meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, clothes and a whole host of other products.

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The empty BHS store in The Cascades could be used for something else, such as an ice rink on the ground floor, with maybe a Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, or a food court like the one that used to be in The Cascades, on the floor above.

I think we need to be a bit radical now, or Commercial Road will die.

Any suggestions anyone?

Philip Pyke

Westwood Road, Hilsea