It’s the last building
in Britain you’d expect to be knocked down
for offices. chris
boffey reports
|
English
Heritage has controversially agreed to the demolition
of its own landmark London headquarters in the
centre of a conservation area.
It will be paid up to £3 million by the developer Legal & General for the early termination of its leasehold, which runs to 2010. Seven storeys of flats and shops will replace the imposing 1940s building.
An advisory committee, selected
by the chairman of English Heritage, Sir Neil
Cossons, granted Legal & General the right
to bulldoze Fortress House, at 23 Savile Row,
in Mayfair, London. Not surprisingly, questions
are now being raised about a conflict of interest. |
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| The controversial
decision sends a clear message that post-1945 buildings
lack significance |
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Nigel
Evans MP, who sits on the Commons select committee
on culture, media and sport, has written to English
Heritage to demand a full disclosure on the deal.
"English Heritage is supposed to preserve buildings," he
says, "not take money and allow buildings like
this to be demolished. The details of this deal raise
more questions than answers."
Campaigners claim that the controversial decision
- which has been widely criticised by architectural
historians - sends a clear message that all post-1945
buildings lack significance.
Professor Gavin Stamp, who sat on the advisory committee,
says that when the question of granting a certificate
of immunity from listing was brought up before the
English Heritage advisory committee, "I think
it fair to say that I found myself in a minority of
one".  |
