Barry: Facing up to a whole new look

Oct 21 2009 by Barry Gibson

THE big day is almost here.

After months of waiting the new all-singing, all-dancing St George’s Square will be unveiled tomorrow evening.

Plagued by trouble and months behind schedule, the £4m revamp has not been, to put it mildly, Kirklees Council’s finest moment.

I’ve been itching to do a column about the new square but, in the interests of fairness, I decided to wait until the bandages are taken off before I judge if the old girl’s facelift has been a success.

So, when I finally see the new square in all its glory this week I’ll feel a sense of relief that I can finally get a few things off my chest.

But I’ll also feel a sense of loss. Because, while I’ve banned myself from writing a column about the square, I’ve done countless news stories about it from the problems with power cuts to the contractor going into administration to the row over the pink Chinese granite.

And then there were the delays, those endless, endless delays. There was a period earlier this year when I was being told every week that the square was “six weeks" from completion.

It reminded me of the old saying about Donegal builders. If they tell you a job will be done by Christmas make sure you check which Christmas.

They’ve kept me in copy, all those “St George’s Square still a mess" stories. I’m going to miss them.