Hope in store as shop site finally flattened

The former Almstrong’s store in Oliver Place is now almost totally flattened, alongside two old church buildings in adjoining Teviot Crescent.

Demolition started late last year but was halted due to the coronavirus lockdown.

However, since restarting a few weeks ago the pace of work has picked up rapidly and now an iconic town building will soon be nothing more than a memory. In its place is to be a new three-storey building, providing office space for up to 17 small businesses, potentially yielding up to 25 jobs.

The project is one of four being paid for by Scottish Government funding of £3.6m for Hawick announced in June 2017 following the launch of an action plan by Scottish Borders Council, businesses and community groups.

Now the local authority has announced that the new business hub will be up and running before next year is over.

A council spokesperson said: “The demolition works on the existing site are due to be completed by the end of August. A formal planning application is due to be submitted in the coming weeks. If the application is approved, construction of the new building will begin in January 2021, with a predicted completion date in December 2021.”

Hawick and Hermitage councillor Watson McAteer believes the new business hub is “exactly what the town needs”.

He said: “It has been a little over three years since the Scottish Government announced an exciting plan to demolish the former Almstrong’s store and replace it with a modern business incubator unit.

“This £2.6 million investment in a development focussed on supporting new business growth is exactly what Hawick needs at this difficult time and demonstrates a strong commitment to our town.

“The demolition that started in December 2019 stalled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but in the past few weeks significant progress has been made with the buildings separating Oliver Crescent from Teviot Crescent finally removed to create a new view that Hawick folk and visitors will I am sure come to enjoy.

“I am looking forward to the new building taking its place alongside a new walkway that will connect our High Street to Commercial Road, creating greater opportunities for all our local businesses.”

Images of the store’s demolition shared on social media sites have sparked reflective responses from many townsfolk, including former staff at the retail outlet.

David Myra Elsdon reminisced: “I worked there for a while as a window dresser. I can remember the owner wanted everything in that window that was in the shop and I would have put a kitchen sink in if he had one.

“Was a pretty good shop actually, you could get anything there. The best bit was popping into the Green Cafe for a macaroni cheese pie - they were good.”

Before becoming a store, the Oliver Crescent site was home to St John’s Church, opened in 1880, with a next-door hall added in 1885.

It merged with St Andrew’s and Eastbank churches to form the town’s Trinity kirk in 1958.

The building was then sold and partially demolished in 1960, reopening as Arthur Armstrong’s department store in 1962, later renamed Almstrong’s.

In more recent years, it has been derelict and boarded up.

In 2006, a planning bid was approved to build 19 flats on the site, but it came to nothing.

A few years later, another scheme for townhouses also floundered.