Okay, so managed to get the bump strips off pretty easily using a screwdriver with gaffer tape around it to protect the paint (just a case of slowly teasing it out). However on the GTI it seems that this still will not allow access to the third and final screw on the headlight. This is beacause the bumper strip on the GTI is not as large as those on other models, and has the headlight washer meachanism to contend with. It seems to me that this is a mistake in the workshop manual, and that to get the headlights out will require front bumper removal.
I will check this tomo night and let ya'll know.