York’s planning department ignored its own architect’s critical advice on Land Securities’ designs for Coppergate Riverside, an inquiry into the scheme has heard.
The advice, which described the designs as “weak”, was detailed in a memo cited by the government’s architecture watchdog CABE yesterday during its cross-examination of York’s director of environment and development, Roy Templeman.
The memo, which listed reservations over the scale and suitability of Land Securities’ planned 330,000 sq ft (30,657 sq m) shopping centre, was written by the council’s conservation architect Janine Riley before the council gave the scheme the go-ahead in November 2000.
CABE’s QC asked Templeman why the memo had not been shown to councillors. Templeman said that some of the views were regarded as “outside the expertise of the author”.
He added that the council had launched an internal investigation into the fact that councillors had not seen the memo, and found that there had been no evidence of malpractice.
Templeman defended LandSec’s scheme, claiming that it “effectively sought to address the historic, present day and future needs of the site and the city centre”.
EGi News 23/01/02
