Council allowed vandalism of historic building

I refer to the old Coffee House on High Street and the memorial plaque on the front of the building, now occupied by Dream Consoles.

This building is a wonderful example of the Nottingham architect Watson Fothergill and is steeped in local history. It is a shame that people now trading there do not share these sentiments.

The owner of the shop trading in the building has put a sign advertising PlayStation right in front of the plaque.

The shop owner hasn't even had the decency to put the sign where we would still be able to see what the plaque says. He has attached it directly to the plaque itself.

I was at Hucknall Library last week for the 'Hucknall In Words' book launch and a council representative was there. So I took the opportunity to question him about the sighting of this offensive sign.

I was amazed at his reply. The council know all about it but are powerless to do anything about it. The shop owner had permission to put up a sign and had done so.

I could not believe what I was hearing. The council had given authority to a shop owner to deface a vital part of the history of Hucknall and were now powerless to do anything about it.

I am led to believe that some members of the Heritage Society have even been into the shop and asked the owner if he would move the sign. But with no success, I'm afraid. The shop owner refused point blank to move it.

The people who do the guided tours of Hucknall must cringe when they come to this building and have to explain what the memorial says. Lord knows what the visitors on the tours think of an authority that would allow such a thing to happen.

I sincerely hope that the new local council members will take this on board and try to restore to the people of Hucknall what is theirs by right. Namely their heritage. It is fast disappearing, so the few pieces that remain want protecting against the ravages of what I consider to be condoned vandalism.

JOHN WHEELDON,

Nottingham Road,

Hucknall.

(by e-mail).