Tall Tales from London Town

Chris Sumner writes:

A recent trip to Covent Garden to see Simone Boccanegra led me to wonder whether there were parallels between the struggle for power between the Patricians and Plebeians of mediaeval Italy and those of modern London, and whether Harrison Birtwhistle might do for Boris and Ken what Verdi did for the sparring Doges of Genoa.

Any parallels of irregular love lives, ruthless egos and (character) assassination of the protagonists are perhaps better not explored, but high buildings were an issue in San Gimignano, where each family vied to build higher than its neighbour, and the civic life and the traffic of Siena were and still are disrupted by the annual Paglio horse race.

London has its high buildings threats and its prospective Olympic equestrian events, so some things remain evergreen. Boris Johnson seems less ready than his predecessor to subscribe to the myth that every attractive park and river vista in London would be enhanced by a disproportionately tall new building, and the Richmond Park Conservatives' newsletter carries the encouraging headline BORIS BACKS THE VIEW..

"The iconic keyhole view of St Paul's Cathedral from King Henry's Mound in Richmond Park has been reprieved and will be protected... an assurance from Boris Johnson... that not only would he reverse the assaults made by Ken Livingstone but he would also vigorously ensure that there will be no infringements of the original viewing corridor".

Well, we shall see, but it sounds like good news, as does the new Mayor's announced intention to spend £6m on London's parks.

The Green City?

London, as we keep telling ourselves, is a very green city, and many of its residents have the advantage of a private garden as well as access to public parks, and so it is a shock to read a headline like "Gardens Are Disappearing In The Capital" (The London Paper, 9th October) over an article that starts "More than 1,000 gardens are torn up across London every year as developers replace leafy spaces with high-density flats..." Croydon scores worst in the league table of the 32 London Boroughs, having lost 358 gardens since 2004, Sutton is second worst with 266, and Lewisham and Richmond-upon-Thames are joint ninth from the bottom with 137 gardens built over in the last three years. When the loss of open space for building is compounded by the paving over of front gardens for car parking, the picture starts to look rather unattractive; comparisons of town streets now with photographs of the same streets 40 years ago make clear how much has been sacrificed for the sake of the motor car, encouraged by a sloppy planning system. Even more pernicious, because it is a result of the deliberate planning policy of the Mayor Ken Livingstone, who wants high buildings ail over London, whatever the cost might be to the historic environment, and of a Philistine central government that cares nothing for the past and has cut financial support to English Heritage, is the intrusion into the skyline along the River Thames and around the Royal Parks of tall commercial buildings. John Prescott has now gone, thank God, though not before authorising the construction of the Vauxhall Tower and other horrors; but the character and appearance of the Westminster World Heritage Site are now threatened by a 144m-high block of flats proposed to be built in Doon Street behind the National Theatre. The top of the building would obtrude into the view across Whitehall from the bridge in St James's Park, widely recognised as one of the finest and most magical urban views in the world.

St James's Park - before the Doon Street tower is built Lambeth Council justify the decision to grant planning permission on grounds of social gain - some affordable housing and a swimming pool - but what about the loss to Londoners and visitors to London and the rejection of civilized values? Would it be acceptable to deface a Canaletto if the graffiti were politically correct? The scheme has been called in for public inquiry.

ICOMOS and UNESCO have recently been looking askance at another World Heritage Site in the capital, the Tower of London WHS - and quite rightly too. The setting of the Tower is a bad joke and the buildings around it about as grotesque as could be found anywhere. The City of London becomes ever more an architectural zoo, its skyline like a badly kept bathroom windowsill writ large. Even the unlamented Tessa Jowell got a bit panicky when there appeared to be some chance that the Tower of London WHS would be declared "at risk", or even de-inscribed. Is Doon Street an indication that the Westminster World Heritage Site is to be the next lost cause?