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'40 architect firms defy call to boycott barracks project'
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor09.07.09
The Qatari developers of the stalled £1 billion Chelsea barracks scheme say they have been "overwhelmed" by submissions from architects despite calls for the profession to boycott it.
A spokesman for Qatari Diar, the property investment arm of the Gulf state, said more than 40 expressions of interest had been received from firms, around three times the level they had expected.
The original steel and glass scheme by Lord Rogers was abandoned last month after a personal intervention from Prince Charles.
His involvement sparked a row and was condemned as unconstitutional by Lord Rogers. Labour MP Ken Purchase urged architect firms to turn their backs on it.
However, the Qatari Diar spokesman said leading firms had ignored the plea. "These kind of projects don't come up very often and any controversy there has been to date has clearly not concerned people looking for business in a difficult market," he added.
The spokesman said the sheer scale of the response, with bids arriving at the rate of three or four a day, meant that it would take until the end of next week to whittle the line-up down to a "long-list" of around 15 to 20 firms.
A short list is expected by the end of the summer. "The process is taking a lot longer than we thought," the spokesman said. "Applications have come in from UK and international practices. There are no surprises on the list." He refused to disclose the bidders' names.
The barracks site was sold for £959 million last year to Project Blue (Guernsey), part of Qatari Diar, in Britain's most expensive home property deal.
The original application to develop the 13-acre site was withdrawn last month, a week before it was due to go before Westminster council, despite £30 million having been spent on the plans and two and a half years of consultation.
The Royal Institute of British Architects said at the time: "It is extremely disappointing that this application has been withdrawn in response to Prince Charles's views less than a week before the council was due to consider it."
Charles had written to the chairman of Qatari Diar. He claimed the steel and glass design was unsympathetic to the historical surroundings.
Reader views (3)
even if they wanted to boycott on principle I doubt there are any architects at the moment who can afford to follow their principles if they want to continue to pay their staff.
- Andy, london
Excellent, just goes to show Messers Rogers have been humbled - or should now be ! Listen to the people in future, follow HRH's example.
- M Carbuncle, London
It seems that not everyone is in agreement with the out of character modernist monstrosity brigade after all.
- Rogan, Irving
