In fact this development is not due to open until the spring of 2007, not last autumn as quoted in your publication. The picture that you have published shows an elevation of the current 'Cumbernauld Shopping Centre' and vacant land on which the adjoining 'Antonine Centre' is to be constructed.

Work on this new development has now commenced and the retail in Cumbernauld will be significantly improved upon its completion. However, as your publication is an industry-based magazine we would have hoped for some positive press rather than an inaccurate article which does not offer anything in the way of support to the developers or the retail agents that are currently trying to attract new retailers to subscribe to this development and stabilise the existing retail offer.

Currently the Cumbernauld Centre is in an extremely difficult trading environment and we have suffered substantial closures in our retail units. Quite frankly, when we have been haemorrhaging tenants for the last five years, we would hope that future issues of Shopping Centre may want to focus on the positive aspects of Cumbernauld and not be influenced by a television programme which didn't offer realistic solutions, only ones which improved aesthetics.

The Demolition programme did offer some minor references to how there had been problems, and why the new promised centre's construction had been delayed. However it had a somewhat more flippant approach when, for example, one of the presenters was dropped off in a taxi to the service bays and then appeared to be lost and unsure how to gain access to the Cumbernauld Centre. There is adequate signage on the surrounding road networks which will direct traffic quite clearly to the entrances.

This is just one example of the many inaccuracies we witnessed. Filming inside the centre was carried out when the centre was closed; there was no mention of the significant amount of financial investment by the current owners and amongst the interviewees were some former employees of retailers and the centre, not the most unbiased group to choose.

Ultimately with any commercial television programme the finished product has been carefully edited to promote an opinion, provoke reaction and to attract a high number of viewers and ultimately sell advertising space for a company, in this case, Channel FourTelevision.

As you may have gathered I am passionate about my centre. I would hope that in future editions of Shopping Centre there might be a focus on all things positive about Cumbernauld as when the next phase is completed Cumbernauld will rival some regional centres in Scotland in terms of gla.

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