The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) will go to appeal in support of Gerald Ronson’s Heron Tower, despite being short on funds.
CABE’s decision to join the fight over the 42-storey tower, which was called in by former DETR Secretary of State John Prescott in February, will depend on legal advice.
However, an official announcement launching their case is expected on Monday, along with a document outlining its policy on which cases it would appeal. The case will see CABE joining forces with the Corporation of London and London Mayor Ken Livingstone against English Heritage and Westminster council, who object to the development.
The architecture watchdog previously estimated that an appeal would use up what was left of its annual budget. But CABE’s chief executive Rouse said that the amount of money used to defend the tower would now have to be smaller. “If we were to appear at Heron it would be on the cheap. It would be David versus Goliath.”
He added that CABE would not look to Ronson or the Corporation for handouts: “There is absolutely no question of us taking money from developers or other organisations. We would rather not appear at all.”
The funding issue raises a serious question over whether the organisation would be able to appeal any cases other than Heron, and the document detailing what cases the quango will go to appeal over is expected to take the shortage of funds into account. “We will get involved in cases where a principle is threatened or at stake – projects that would set a precedent for standards in design,” Rouse said.
“Money is a real big problem. There are other cases coming up that we will need to go to. People are constantly coming to CABE and asking for our help, but we just haven’t got the resources.”
EGi News 10/08/01
