After Cheltenham's iconic department store confirmed last week it is to close, a planning expert offers his views on the future of the building.

The historic 14,000 sq ft, four-storey store on The Promenade opened in 1823 and was acquired by House of Fraser in 1970.

Frasers Group intends to cut the number of House of Fraser stores from 59 to 31 over the coming months.

Cavendish House employs around 90 staff, who were told last Wednesday that it would be closing in April. Signs in the windows are advertising that all stock is reduced.

David Jones, managing director of Cheltenham-based planning consultants Evans Jones, visited the store this morning with Punchline-Gloucester.com editor Mark Owen.

David said: "It's really sad. This store has been in Cheltenham for over 200 years and it's been a stalwart of the town's high street for that period, but it's really no longer fit for purpose.

"It's a big store - 14,000 odd square feet over four floors - and It's hard. We talk a lot about the future of the high street and how we can regenerate it and in many respects this is a classic example of how high streets are being regenerated and will need to be regenerated.

"We don't know what's going to come for Cavendish House. I've got my own ideas I think is a great opportunity for Cheltenham. This building is going to close and will remain closed for an extended period whilst it's either repurposed or redeveloped.

David said the once stunning building now has a 1970s appearance.

"It has a certain quality to it but I don't think it's stunning and I don't think it's good enough to necessarily keep. My view is it needs to come down and we have an opportunity to put something really, really special here.

"I think there's some fabulous opportunities and I'm looking forward to seeing what eventually happens..

"There are going to be all sorts of ideas for this building, whether to repurpose it or whether to demolish it. Some may resist that, but I think demolition is the answer. I think it's such a complex building that it's very difficult to create what needs to be created with a mix of uses at the ground and upper floor levels, so demolition is probably the best answer. Whether that is retaining some of the facade, that might be quite nice but that depends on its condition and cost.

"I think it has to keep a retail element on the ground floor with active frontages to draw people in. It's going to be sad while it's closed but the opportunity is to create different uses above the ground floor level with residential, leisure and offices to create some activity which would bring people into the town centre.

"We have talked about in Gloucester and the former Debenhams building which is being repurposed for educational purposes. which is fantastic. That in itself will bring hundreds of people to Gloucester city centre and we need to look at how we can do this in Cheltenham."

The death knell of Cavendish House was John Lewis coming here a few years ago, David said.

He added: "We must not forget the human element as sadly people will lose their jobs."