Select Committee on Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Written Evidence


Memorandum by T Appleyard (HIS 27)

  Does disabled access apply? We are told that it should. Do we dismember the building to add this? How can you with old buildings. Two different sets of law apply to the same.

  How does transport work? You knock everything down and build new to become old after a short time to pull it down again. In it you fit transport but not as the present case has been. It is the problem. Roads closed, limited access. Those that can't walk are told to walk, use a bicycle. We have obstructions such as road humps too high too angular so you need an off road vehicle. We restrict roads so the traffic crawls and pollutes more. It goes through and not round with by-passes.

  How much does it cost to keep an old building going? Is it not politics to replace it with that all new to last 10 years and pull it down again. We could have another dome, music centre or building you close after renovation. Old buildings should have funds. You let it decay then you can pull it down. it works. It is current practice. The council is always responsible and the funds seen to side-track the buildings.

  We have the 10 year plan. It goes wrong, it stays wrong but it continues to be built. If it fails we build it to fail.

  Is the building old? Bring it up to modern standard but how with an old building it stays old. That is what an old building is.

  Has it another use? No it becomes a shop or offices like every other project with no other ideas. The modern vogue is nothing to do with us but the planner. They know all until it all goes wrong.

  Is it just a paper exercise? Pull it down put in our grand new idea like we did last time. We have done it four times in the same area in 40 years. It works no one can stop us. Is an old building old or is it the last modern building to become old next time?

  Is it a new fascia to an old building or a new building with an old fascia? Are we keeping it old or modernising it?

  No one has bothered with old railway buildings, canals and the like. They have all gone.

  Planning is a limited view in a limited way by limited people who often know nothing about buildings. Is it not time they did just like they should about roads but do not?

  The planner and the architect is always right they can never be wrong. But they can. Consultation, expertise, experience and intelligence seem to fail in the end.

  Why deal with buildings when you can spend it on the town centre four times round every 10 years? It happens. Fancy paving, fancy road schemes you change every few years to make things worse. The old building has no chance.

  Ten years later when it is done you say what a problem another millennium dome.

  If you make a law you have not so why make more with no meaning to be told second hand by a judge and not parliament we are told happens at the present by Parliament.


 
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