The proposal to renovate parliament is the biggest waste of money I have ever heard about (Parliament renovation could take 76 years and cost £22bn, report says, 23 February). The final amount could be double, bearing in mind the history of overspends in major projects. The Palace of Westminster should be pulled down and replaced with a 21st-century building that meets the needs of a modern democracy. The Scots and the Welsh have modern parliament buildings – the English deserve one too.
I can see that the people who do not want to change anything would oppose this. So the Thames frontage could be preserved and the new building could be attached to it.
This building needs two debating chambers with semicircular layouts to get rid of the confrontational bear pits we have in the present building. It also needs an electronic voting system so every one of our representatives can vote wherever they are in the country, so we can do away people filing through the lobby. Think what the country could do to fix our broken society with the £22bn it will cost just to prevent a building falling down.
Roy Appleyard
Herne Bay, Kent
• Has the world gone mad? You report that parliament’s restoration cost is estimated to be between £7bn and £22bn. If you take a rough estimate of £15bn, that is the equivalent of £23m per MP.
As an architect, I find it inconceivable that anyone could seriously support any of these alternatives. Move parliament to a purpose-built shed in west London and set a timescale of five years for the refurbishment, with a budget of £2bn-£3bn.
I once presented a scheme to a large retailer. His only question was: “If I spend this money will I sell more product?” It never went ahead.
Brian Turner
Beckley, East Sussex
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.
