Landscape Matters Issue 4 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 10
Very sadly, a similar mistake is being made with the development
of a much-loved public garden into a million-a-year visitor
attraction. VictoriaTower Gardens next to Parliament will
become a grand pathway to a Holocaust Memorial and
Information Centre in its western corner.The siting decision for
the Holocaust Memorial should have been guided byThameside
landscape strategies, instead of by some politico’s dinner-table
whim.The Inspector for the recent planning inquiry advised that
‘All parties agree that the proposed development would cause
planning harm …’ and ‘the proposals would fail to preserve
the character or appearance of the Westminster Abbey and
Parliament Square Conservation Area.’ But the Inspector and
the Minister still recommended that the project go ahead.
Commodity, Firmness and Delight: a Thames Landscape
Strategy
So what components should go into a Central LondonThames
Landscape Strategy? As Vitruvius advised, they should deal
with Commodity, Firmness and Delight. And as Edmund Burke
advised, they should consider the interests of ‘those who are
living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.’ More
particularly, the area requires:
(1) An Elevational Strategy, which should be equally bold but
less prescriptive than the Nash-Repton plan for the buildings
which surround Regent’s Park
(2) A Massing Strategy, which composes riverside development,
inspired by the planning of herbaceous borders, i.e. with the
tallest items being located, as is the Shard at London Bridge, at
the back of the river corridor, and with lower structures on the
waterfront. PLATE 5
5. The Shard is pulled-back from the
Thames but the beach is suffering
from years of neglect by the Port of
London Authority.
(3) A Shoreline Strategy, for realising theThames beaches as
scenic, recreational and ecological assets
(4) A Thames Path Strategy for further improving the walks
which a council member of the ILA (now the LI), Sir Patrick
Abercrombie, proposed in 1943-4.
(5) A SustainableTransport Policy in favour of walking, cycling
and public transport - remembering that people ride bikes in
London for many reasons, including commuting, recreation and
health. Main shopping streets, like Oxford Street, should be
made shopper friendly by pedestrianisation (with electric trams
