Bold Proposals For Replanning London

Northern Advocate, 28 August 1947, Page 4

Bold Proposals For Replanning London

Bold steps are being taken in rebuilding the City of London. A reconstruction plan was presented to the Court of the Common Council, the City Corporation’s chief committee, in the form of a final report from consultants appointed by the City Fathers.

They are two of Britain’s most noted town-planning experts—Dr Holden and Professor Holford, who have been working on the problem during the last two years. The scheme envisaged nothing less than complete reconstruction of that important square mile in the heart of Britain's Capital, “which lies on the trade routes of the world”. BOLDEST PROPOSALS

Two of the boldest proposals in the report are the reconstruction of Mansion House—the historic home of London's Lord Mayor—on an entirely new site, and the bodily removal of the City’s famous Wren churches. Another interesting feature is a national memorial near to St Paul’s Cathedral, with the precincts around Wren’s masterpiece widened to their original dimensions, and ceremonial approaches leading from. Ludgate Hill and the River Thames.

The plan also includes a suggestion for setting back the upper storeys of shops and offices in the city streets in order to obtain maximum benifit from daylight in the thoroughfares. TRAFFIC ROUNDABOUTS Traffic roundabouts and a new road bridge at Blackfriars in place of the existing railway crossing, which is be removed underground, are proposed in order to speed up the circulation of cars and buses. Additional facilities for parking vehicles are included in the scheme, which envisages accomodation for more than 8000 cars, with rather less than half this total handled by private and commercial garages, and the remainder by public parking places. Preliminary engineering operations are timed to begin in June of next year, which will enable actual building to start in April, 1949. During the first five years new construction to the extent of £7,000,000 will be undertaken, on which just under 3000 men will be employed. Building plans are divided into two separate but correlated programmes—a short-term section to be finished within 15 years, and a long-term programme, which will require 40 years for completion. At the peak of the long-term programme no less than 5000 men will be required. MAGNITUDE OF TASK

Some idea of the magnitude of the task may be gathered from the fact that replacement of war-damaged buildings alone involves the clearing and reconstruction of 25,000,000 square feet of ground space.

An exhibition of architects’ drawings has been opened at London’s Guildhall to provide the public with an opportunity of studying the proposed changes. This also includes a suggestion ol the form which the national memorial to the City of London’s ordeal and to the Cathedral’s most miraculous escape from destruction might take. The idea is put forward that some of the open space made by enemy attacks should be dedicted for this purpose, and that on the terrace built from bomb debris, a suitable mpnument should be erected. FUNDAMENTAL AIMS

These proposals for rebuilding the City are coordinated with the County of London scheme, and are designed to form an integral part of the complete plan for the reconstruction of the capital.

The fundamental aim is to enable new and wider streets to carry the traffic modern times have bought without sacrificing the historic layout and sense of intimacy from which the City of London derives its world famous character. i