ES Views Letter of the Day: Skyscrapers will ruin London’s character

Westminster is one of the most historically and culturally important areas in Europe. It is worrying, then, to hear that this area, which gives London vibrancy, beauty and character, could soon be threatened by new policies supporting tall buildings [“Skyscrapers in Westminster? Taller buildings plan mulled”, March 27].

Tall buildings can add to city life when they are well designed and in sensible places. But London needs denser, mid-rise developments to continue the architectural traditions that make the city special while delivering more housing.

This approach has been working for years. Take the Grade II-listed Boundary Estate in east London, which was built in the 1890s and, more than a century later, is the type of high-density housing our city needs.

London deserves a meaningful response to its character and history, or we risk losing what makes it special.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive, Historic England

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