WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

catherine croft | director of 20th century society

“Once demolished there is no turning back, a unique creation is lost for ever. Whilst some of these buildings (on C20 Risk List) may need imaginative renewal, all are capable of inspiring and energising new uses. We need to make sure that none of these opportunities are missed. All ten of the 2023 buildings deserve to survive to make our lives richer and more interesting, the positive benefits of keeping them are immeasurable.”

Oli Marshall | Campaigns Manager of 20th century society

“Having recently highlighted the threat to the Museum of London and Bastion House in our annual Risk List campaign, the Twentieth Century Society would welcome any change of direction from the City of London, to pursue a more responsible strategy of retention, refurbishment and retrofit for the buildings. (…) London Wall West is a site of special architectural and historic significance that deserves ample time to find the right custodians – with the vision to respectfully reimagine it for the 21st century.” (Read the full article in the Architects’ Journal)

Chris Hayward | Chairman of the City of London Policy and Resources Committee

“Our residents provide the foundation of our democratic legitimacy. It is our residents who most acutely feel the consequences of the work we do, and it is our residents who rightly hold us to account. We serve the People; the People do not serve us….We must consult and engage better. We must listen harder and we must act quicker.” (Court of Common Council on 19 May 2022)

“The Square Mile should be a vibrant destination of choice for everyone. We must seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the City of London and enhance its leisure offer. This will boost our attractiveness to existing audiences while also opening it up to new ones, just as the Elizabeth line is set to connect more people to the City directly than ever before. Destination City will be the latest reinvention in the Square Mile’s long history. It will drive our recovery from the pandemic and boost our attractiveness to talent by growing the City’s cultural offer, in turn revitalising our streets and reinvigorating our businesses.”

GILLIAN DARLEY | ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN

“The Barbican Association, those who live there, are mounting a strenuous fight. A poll showed 88 per cent of residents opposed to demolition. The City Corporation, which essentially grants itself planning permission, has so far run rough-shod over the views of locals… No alternatives have been invited or aired, objections and questions meet a blank wall. The situation looks like an impasse. Yet the site is too important to be treated as a cash cow. It is important for the built quality of the Barbican as a whole, for the people who live and work there, and as somewhere to right a few wrongs in the parlous City environment, with its wind tunnels, dead trees and frequently dispiriting architecture. The City of London often seems an object lesson in bad practice and calculated obduracy when it could be an object lesson in best practice and enlightened policy for the attention and admiration of every authority in the country. For a start, some more democracy in its governance wouldn’t go amiss.”

WILL NOBLE | THE LONDONIST

“The Barbican itself might have once faced demolition if the wrong voices had been heeded…. But just imagine the outcry if anyone tried to bulldoze the Barbican now. Bastion House is part of that development, and should be regarded in the same ilk. Historic England even recommended the London Wall West site be included in the Barbican and Golden Lane Conservation Area. (It wasn't, of course, and so here we are.)”

Secretary of State Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP

​​“We want to have a planning system where people can feel confident that beauty is taken seriously, confident that the environment is benefiting, and confident that the Community has a role ultimately in determining what is right.”