Evening Standard comment: Prince Charles and the housing debate

When the report calls for “more London” in terms of style, it could actually make new housing seem a welcome prospect rather than a depressing one. That could change the housing debate
26 March 2014
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Prince Charles has entered the housing debate in characteristic fashion. His Foundation for Building Community has published a report calling for more housing, and for that housing to be in keeping with the character of the city — mid-rise rather than skyscrapers.

The report follows a survey from urban design organisation New London Architecture (NLA) which shows that almost 250 towers of 20 storeys or more are planned or under construction in London — most blocks for private sale. These Prince Charles’s foundation describes as “glittering towers of exclusivity and luxury living — out of the reach of the average Londoners”. Instead, the report calls for a return of Edwardian mansion blocks and Georgian-style squares and crescents.

Architects do not usually welcome the interventions of the prince when it comes to building aesthetics but in this case the professionals should acknowledge that his foundation’s report is both good sense and reflects the sentiments of most Londoners. A new poll from NLA shows that 70 per cent of Londoners under 35 admire distinctive high-rise buildings but would not want to live in them. Mansion and apartment blocks like those of Paris are uniquely suited for urban living, combining high density with well-proportioned individual and communal space. They should be the template for more buildings in London; certainly they are hugely popular.

The Foundation is also right to suggest that there should be far more mixed developments than at present — unlike the tower blocks for the rich that are favoured by some of the biggest developers. It recommends a mixture of private, shared and social housing in order to accommodate a mixture of tenants which would make for greater social cohesiveness; certainly it’s a healthier model than either council estates or gated communities.

The Mayor in particular should be sympathetic and receptive to Prince Charles’s ideas. When the report calls for “more London” in terms of style, it could actually make new housing seem a welcome prospect rather than a depressing one. That could change the housing debate.

Equality at work

The arrival of gender equality in the workplace has, at least for some, already happened. The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, has welcomed research showing for full-time workers under 40, the pay gap has all but disappeared and for one age group, young women earn slightly more than men. Of course it is not the full story: when all ages are taken into account and part-time workers as well as full-time ones, the gap remains at nearly 20 per cent. That has obviously much to do with caring for children. But it is still a notable development, as higher educational standards for girls feed into higher aspirations at work.

At the same time, a fifth of FTSE 100 board members are now women. This is a sensible as well as a principled development; companies that reflect the perspectives of both sexes are more representative of their customers. There’s further to go, but this is welcome news.

Books for prisoners

It is hard to imagine a more counter-productive policy than the Government’s restrictions on small packages that prisoners are allowed to receive, including books. We should be doing all in our power to encourage prisoners to read: one reason for their lives of crime is poor literacy. Yet few of those most in need of books get them. Sadiq Khan, shadow justice secretary, is to be congratulated for promising to overturn the ban. More books, please.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in