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The foregoing letters say it all . We , the people do not get a say when monstrosities are proposed for our towns and cities . Well we might , but they always seem to be over-ridden by planning appeals . Look at Liverpool for instance . Wonderful Victorian and Edwardian buildings , but planners have allowed ugly towers of glass and metal to despoil the lovely skyline .
Thank God for Prince Charles and his voice of sanity . His one man battle for beauty of architecture and buildings which people actually feel comfortable and happy with , is our voice too .

- Derek Farman, windermere . UK

I fail to understand why British Architects are so enthusiastic about designing in straight lines and uniformity. Reference to Spain's Gaudi, whose designs of everything seem to have straight lines banned, should be a useful creative pointer to those empowered to create our environments.

There is nothing in nature that is a straight line!

- John Gardiner, Chichester

The current trend of steel and glass will pass us by, as all fashion statements do, but the buildings remain for a long period into the future. The relatively harmonious and unified character of London built in the 19th century was predominately because of the limited range of materials available i.e. stone. Paris is regarded as a beautiful city for much the same reason.
Stone tends to age gracefully but large steel and glass structures, while often eye-popping when they are built, become tired and deteriorate over time. There is a place for everything but,particularly in residential precincts, in fifty years when the glamour is gone the harmony should remain.
The Prince is sometimes a bit off the money with his retro-Georgian attitudes, but be grateful there is someone to speak up for London in the bigger picture, of whom people take notice.

- Graham Humphrey, Sydney, Australia

More flats flats flats, when are we going to learn that it will turn into another ghetto. know light and as many people as possible in a tiny place.
Well done to the Prince of Wales

- Steve Wilkerson, uk

Lord Rogers should thank Prince Charles for saving his reputation.
If the development had gone ahead, his swan song could have been a deeply un-creative eyesore.
I found his petulant outburst about Prince Charles' constitutional position embarrassing.
Lord Rogers has been a good architect. In later years, he may be grateful that he was prevented from making a dreadful mistake.

- Shannon O'Hara, Richmond, UK

Thank God for the Prince of Wales!

- Nancy Farran Woods, Norwich

I'm glad that the design is not going ahead. It is reminiscent of a cardboard building from the 70's 'Hotel' game rather than looking to the future.

- Neil, Lowestoft, UK

Another thankyou , your Royal Highness.

- Alan, Rochester, UK

We are tearing down housing projects like these in the US. We built plenty of them in the post war era, infuenced by military planners. Line the buildings up like barracks. Pack and stack the people. Create housing that is viewed more as a project than a neighborhood. London is full of brilliant housing to inspire new projects. Why can't Rogers learn from the past? When you move away from time honored urban planning principles and begin to segregate the functions of the city, you are asking for trouble.

- Paul, Pittsburgh, USA

I have no doubt that in the course of his work, Prince Charles meets many more ordinary people than the architects do. He also has the great priviledge of living with and among beautiful buildings and objects, many of which are old, if not ancient. He understands the value of both. Architects rarely, if ever, have to suffer living in their creations, or indeed anywhere near them. They may blight an area for generations with no fear of being held to account or ever meeting the poor residents. His Royal Highness has upset a few self regarding people and delighted the rest of us. My only fear is that when he is king, he will have to keep quiet.

- Fran, Cambridge, Cambs

How ironic that we need to rely on our un-elected Prince of Wales to speak up for normal people in the face of these tyrants of modern architecture and the oligarchs of so-called democratic process in our councils and planning departments. Thank you, your Royal Highness.

And yes, let's all have a vote on something that will make such an impact on our capital city.

- Carolyn, Didcot, UK

Well done Prince Charles for knocking this on the head. The scheme looks like a business park. It is the developer and architect who are anti-democratic. The property oligarchs do not listen to people's views and abuse power and money to get their way with the planners. London's architectural character is being systematically destroyed in this way. Back to the drawing board.

- David, London

Why not let the people decide? Present the short-listed designs to the people of London, or Britain, and let them decide which design is best.

- Roger, London

Well done Prince Charles for knocking this on the head. He is in touch with the common man, and has stopped arrogant architects inflicting their 'art' on London.

- Peter Le Marchand, London, UK

Who is the brainless egocentric idiot that compared this archetypical glorified inner city Council estate to something that will rival the " beautiful and historic buildings of Belgravia and it's environs." ( See links to this site ).
It's appalling, atrocious, featureless and worthless. The developers should be made to pay 101% tax on their eventual profits.

- Michael Baker, Chester. England

As a regular visitor to the area I am amassed as to the lack of thought and aesthetic quality of this proposed site. The only thing I can equate it too, is a council estate designed by an average architect with the instructions to give the maximum return for the property company by designing the highest density construction that the regulations allow. The design is not in keeping with the area and far from aesthetically pleasing even in a modern way, it is a self indulgent exercise in nothingness.
The only thing I can equate it to, is the modern art displays at the Tate Gallery where a few so called art intellectuals pull the wool over each other’s eyes, like the bricks or the slept in bed. At least the bed could be given away to be used as a bed and the bricks could be put to good use to build an outhouse; well it seems they have been.
My Daughter is free next week for a couple of days; I could offer her services to the architects company to help them with the design (she is eleven).

- David Isted, London

Same old same old. Architecture of little imagination and astronomical price tags, and planting a few trees will not change the fact these are just tower blocks. Perhaps it is time Lord Foster was made to compete on the standard and originality of design and materials and not winning by just using his name.

- Sandy Warner, Ruislip England

Obviously the architect of this 'development' was hammered by the developers with "How can we squeeze as many flats as possible to maximize our profits?"
Ugly squat building - Here in Japan where building land is scarce, developers wouldn't build this kind of scheme - it's 60s maximum density public housing with a couple of extra zeros tagged on the price.
Disgusting!

- Victhebrit, Nara, Japan

The proposed development is totally unsympathetic to the surrounding buildings. Hopefully someone will listen to Prince Charles before it is too late

- Emb, London

The scheme is hope-sapping. For those who believe Prince Charles is acting undemocratically, I wonder what you think the result would be if Londoners would be allowed to vote for their favorite scheme. I think Quinlan Terry's would win handily.

- Dino Marcantonio, New York City, USA

This scheme looks pretty deadly. Paying millions of pounds, then getting to look out your window at another identical tower block. Just lovely! Who could have approved such a mindless scheme?

- Anthony James, Ardmore, PA, USA

The Chelsea Barracks redevelopment has long been of concern to local residents such as I. It is a scandal that the project has been allowed to progress in its current form. Why? How?
What a missed opportunity to create a 21st century development in keeping with its surroundings, such as the Duke of York Sq., for instance, off the nearby Kings Road.
What a sin to create more mindless tower blocks that damage the community, the beauty of the area and inevitably mean more traffic chaos.
Where is Boris when we need him? Good Luck Prince Charles!

- Karen Morgan Thomas, Lndon SW1

The development does look a bit dense - not a very nice outlook for windows in the interior - but those considerations are appropriately dealt with through the planning process. Seems that Prince Charles has been lobbying the financiers of the development to alter the design [to some anodyne quasi-classical pastiche I daresay]. He should butt out. We live in a democracy and Charles's high-powered meddling is an affront - an abuse of privilege.

- Teresa, Clapham

THIS IS A LISTED SITED IT SHOULD BE PRESERVED FOR THE NATION

- Malcolm Collins, BASINGSTOKE UK

i spent to years groing up on chelsea and i think to will look wonderfull when its finished

- Louise Gate, dorset

I used to live in the Barracks,I'm sad to see what is going to become of the site. Not very nice.

- Marina Nixon, colchester, uk

This development looks nothing more than a Council Sink Estate with trees and grass.
I pity anyone who would live in the central enclosed blocks - no daylight surrounded by neighbours noise.
Surely we can do better than this with open spaces and decent balcony's.
Must we suffer another Lord Rogers design - who gets the kickback in City of Westminster.

- Barrie Thompson, London Uk

Affordable homes in a Candy development? Not likely. Presumably they think the people who need affordable homes are those who only run small hedge funds and not the big funds like GLG. I can't imagine anyone on a 'normal' salary of less than £50,000 being able to even come close to living somewhere like that.

- Pete, South London

That's a interesting picture, but why is 75% of it showing the adjacent Royal Hospital, and its grounds, that are not part of this development? Could it be to deflect away from the high density of the development, which still look like Barracks?

- Peter, Battersea

Thank God for the trees; otherwise it would look like one of those cheerless estates which dominate some Eastern European cities and growled at one on the east side of the old Berlin Wall. They could at least vary the height of the tower-blocks.

- Peter Seekings-Foster, Muildenhall, Suffolk

Looks like Kidbrooke and it's being demolished!

- Chimp, London

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