There used to be a policy of purchasing & removing all buildings that backed onto the outside of the Town Walls. Personally, I think this was a mistake along the Quay - the site of the former Printing Works is now just a sterile & windswept expanse of grey granite that is rarely used for anything.
I also think that removing all the buildings along the main section of quay was a bad move. They were an eclectic mix of buildings of all shapes/sizes and materials that could easily have been renovated back into commercial use, whilst retaining the original character. I'm afraid that CCBC seem to lack much in the way of aesthetic vision or commercial enterprise, sadly.