Architects criticize Prince Charles

A group of architects on have accused Prince Charles of using his royal position.

London, April 20: A group of leading architects on have accused Prince Charles of using his royal position to attack plans to develop a former army barracks in London.Architects including Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry are among 10 signatories to a letter criticizing the prince for speaking out against the plans to convert the site in a coveted part of London into luxury homes.

The prince has criticized a modern glass and steel design being used in the development in the Chelsea district, which neighbors the Royal Chelsea Hospital, a historic building designed by Christopher Wren, 17th century architect of St Paul`s Cathedral. Charles has urged planners to use traditional brick and stone as they convert the barracks into a hotel and 650 homes. The Sunday Times reported that the prince has also raised concern with the Qatari royal family, which owns the site. The development has been designed by architect Richard Rogers, a member of the House of Lords, known for projects including Heathrow`s new Terminal 5, London`s Millennium Dome and the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, France. "It is essential in a modern democracy that private comments and behind the scenes lobbying by the prince should not be used to skew the course of an open and democratic planning process that is currently under way," the group of architects said in their letter yesterday. Bureau Report