Published: Wednesday, 30th April, 2008 12:00
Toff Dyckhoff Slags Us Off
By Kevin Dyson
Print Article
ONE of Britain’s top architecture and design critics has blasted Irvine as a “droopy port” which had its heyday hundreds of years ago.
Pretentious talking head Tom Dyckhoff, who writes for the Times and the Guardian as well as appearing on the BBC’s Culture Show and Channel 4’s Grand Designs, showed his low opinion of the town in a feature in the Guardian entitled “Let’s move to.....Irvine”.
Writing in the broadsheet Dyckhoff said that developers Urban Splash, who are partnering Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company in a massive harbourside development, were leading the mission to transform a town he described as “a droopy port half an hour south-west of Glasgow, which hasn’t seen its heyday in a century or two.”
The critic, more used to waxing lyrical about buttresses on the television, said: “This town’s had more reboots than my knackered Amstrad.
“In the 60s it became a new town, though strangely acres of dour estates and roundabouts didn’t give it the lift the planners hoped.
“Only a decade ago it got “millenniumed” with The Big Idea visitor attraction. Only now it’s closed.
“The new town years left it scarred: the shopping precinct must be one of the worst in Scotland.”
While berating much of Irvine, he did concede that the old town and its buildings had character “with a nice kirk, beaches and briney walks” and some good period buildings.
However, he described other areas of the new town such as Girdle Toll, Bourtreehill, Broomlands and Dreghorn as “bleak”.
Thankfully, the critic did pay tribute to many of the town’s schools, particularly Castlepark, Fencedyke, Glebe, Loudoun Montgomery and Woodlands Primary Schools. However, his article pointed out that Irvine Royal Academy has rated “weak overall” at its last inspection.
One local man, John Furber, told the UK-wide broadsheet: “Much of the town is the pits, and there’s apprehension about what the plans will do for the place.”
We want to here what you think of Mr Dyckhoff’s opinions. Write to us at Irvine Times, 43 Bank Street, Irvine KA12 0LL or e-mail us at editorial.it@cfpress.co.uk.
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GRAVEROBBER WITH A GUILTY CONSCIENCE