London’s South Bank area is desperately in need of rejuvenation. While I agree with Simon Jenkins that the proposed “pile of boxes” is somewhat unimaginative, I disagree with his dislike of its size (Expensive and loathed, ‘the Slab’ will be a terrible monument. It’s being called Gove Towers and he deserves it, 8 February). It would look fine against the backdrop of, say, a soaring residential tower with a height of 500 metres or more. Such a tower could rise above the now-dilapidated Waterloo station.
Bringing Europe’s tallest building back to London would be an inspiring and visionary project that could restore London’s pride. An immense residential tower would also help to alleviate our capital’s accommodation shortage, particularly if built with an element of public funds and with a quota of affordable units. As for the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall, it’s probably time to demolish these dated buildings and rebuild them at a larger scale in a more modern style.
Frank DM Wilson
Cambridge
• Simon Jenkins is rightly outraged by plans for “the Slab” on the South Bank. Our capital is becoming one of the ugliest in Europe and this vast lump of concrete and glass will further blight its cityscape. In 2008, I voted for Boris Johnson in the mayoral election because I naively believed his declaration that he would stop London becoming Dubai-on-Thames.
Now we know more clearly how much a Boris promise is worth. Ten years later, my hopes for Conservatism were revived when Roger Scruton was made chairman of the Building Better, Building Beautiful commission. But it seems that his work has had little influence on ministers, for Michael Gove thinks it right to allow Mitsubishi to proceed with this massive architectural disfigurement. Clearly, for Tories, money matters, beauty does not. But I listen in vain for any counterblast from Labour.
Francis Bown
London
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