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Property developers have been consulting Prince Charles for years on London's biggest projects, it emerged today.
Schemes like the £4 billion regeneration of the Battersea Power Station site and the £2 billion Kings Cross Railway Lands redevelopment were shown to the Prince before they were submitted.
Major developers, including Land Securities as well as Kings Cross developers Argent and Battersea owners Treasury Holdings, told Building Magazine they routinely show the Prince proposed schemes and sometimes receive letters from his office offering “opinions and advice”.
Robert Tinknell, managing director of Treasury Holdings, said, “Yes, we have run our designs by Prince Charles”. Peter Freeman of Argent said: “The Prince has a big voice”.
It comes amid calls for leading architects to boycott the Chelsea barracks scheme following the row over Prince Charles's intervention.
Developer Qatari Diar abandoned Lord Rogers's steel-and-glass design after the prince got involved and will shortly ask architects if they wish to submit alternatives.
Lord Rogers has demanded a national inquiry into the Prince's role in his scheme being scrapped.
And former Royal Institute of British Architects president Jack Pringle said he would ask members not to supplant Rogers' if he was still in charge of the body.
But the prince's views are not always listened to, even when developers seek his opinion.
The initial Treasury plan for Battersea was to glaze over the entire site and top it with a massive 300 metre chimney which would have dwarfed the iconic power station.
It was ditched - but because of opposition from Mayor Boris Johnson, not the Prince.
A spokesman for Land Securities said: “Prince Charles has always been very vocal. He didn't like 20 Fenchurch street (the Walkie Talkie)”.
In spite of this, however, Land Securities went ahead with the scheme and it won planning permission following a public inquiry.
Its construction has, however, been delayed by the credit crunch.
Other major developers, including Gerald Ronson's Heron Corporation and British Land, said they had never run plans by the Prince.
David Roberts, deputy chief executive of developer Igloo, said that checking major schemes with Clarence House was accepted practice, but developers could then decide what to do with his advice.
“Personally I agree with a lot he says, but it's inappropriate that he has so much influence”.
However, Rynd Smith, director of policy and the Royal Town Planning Institute, said he had never seen any evidence of the Prince trying to influence a planning decision.
“It's up to the developer if he listens to the Prince”, he said.
Reader views (5)
Lord Rogers and his supporters have no right to talk about abuse of power while the self-important Lord Rogers continues with his own abuse of unelected power. The pressure he brings to bear on journalists and politicians to prop up his own ambitions and thwart public opinion is scandalous. Lord Rogers and the RIBA's insistence that they must be allowed to ride roughshod over the opinions of everyone else and build whatever they want wherever they want has not only thrown into relief Lord Rogers' petulant attitude but has also brought RIBA into disrepute. I hope architects are ashamed of their Association. They certainly should be.
- Christopher Wren, City of London, UK, 19/06/2009 10:57
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Loads of people are 'consulted' - it's less expensive to find out opposing views and try to compromise BEFORE the project starts rather than half way through: it happens the length and breadth of the country every time someone builds a garage or a house extension - it's only polite and sensible to ask if there are objections. The final decision, however, rests with the relevant Planning Authority, not Prince Charles. Proof of this is scattered in various hideous buildings around the Capital - not to mention quite a few very beautiful ultra-modern ones. I suppose they could have asked English Heritage its opinion instead, but poor old EH doesn't get much respect anymore.
Can someone please put this story to bed now? If it carries on much longer it will make it round to Panto Season . . .
- Roz, France, 19/06/2009 10:21
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It is good news that someone is able to speak out on behalf of the people lord knows our elected politicians certainly do not.
- Les, Norf London, 19/06/2009 09:40
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The qualities of the Chelsea develoment is not the point. The point is that we have an existing process for dealing with planning applications; it is certainly not perfect but, at least it is (more or less) democratic. The Prince is mocking and abusing that system by using powers only royalty has.
I am one of those who supports monarchy while they do more good than harm, but this misuse of power has convinced me that Charles must never become king. You've turned me into a Repulican overnight, Charles.
- Barbara, Croydon, 19/06/2009 09:21
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Anyway about the Chelsea Barracks development he was right and I think he represents the voice of the people which is how it should be.Surely if royalty is to continue in GB its role should be to work for the good of the population and should include overseeing what happens when an area such as Chelsea Barracks is redeveloped,after all London has enough eyesores as it is.
- Linda, italy, 19/06/2009 08:39
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