The plans in motion for the Campsite Restaurant, on Camp Street, to be torn down for the site to be used for the Citizen’s Bank headquarters, have been met with mixed reactions by some patrons.
Some of them stated that they welcomed the planned transformation at the corner of South Road and Camp Street, Georgetown, while others felt that the development would mean the end of a landmark.
“The world is changing and if they have to break it down to put the bank then let them. I don’t think much people come here anyway so it won’t be like they losing out…The people still will get their work so nobody ain’t losing, that’s how I see it,” said Charles Nedd, who was at the restaurant yesterday.
However, Ingrid Langhorne felt the opposite. “This place is convenient for so much people to get somewhere to eat and shelter from rain or wait for bus; look, you have school children, workers, and everybody. This place is an historical landmark. Ask anybody where Campsite deh and they know. How much other place like that? I think it wrong, wrong, wrong,” Langhorne said.
“…When I hear Campsite going, I was wondering if I was hearing right. Anyway it don’t bother me one way or the other, ’cause is only the pudding I is buy from here,” said another woman, who attended last the Banks DIH annual shareholder’s meeting last Saturday, when the plans to tear down the facility were announced.
Banks DIH Chairman Clifford Reis informed of the sale, to the tune of $450 million, and planned demolition of the building.
He had, however, indicated that while the building would be owned by Citizens Bank, a smaller facility will be opened next-door to facilitate customers with necessary sales of patisserie and Demico ‘Qik Serv’ products as well as those who had made Campsite their favourite eating haunt.
Prior to the Campsite Restaurant being opened the site had been the location of the Guyana National Trading Corporation (GNTC) bookstore, which had been destroyed in a fire.
