History need not be lost
YOUR leader on Carliol House repeated the argument that history has to be sacrificed for jobs.
This is the simplistic way the argument has been presented here. The council now agrees with you, so another piece of Newcastle’s proud past must bite the dust, and with it the building’s history, with its important place in the development of worldwide electric supply.
I am not suggesting that the jobs should not come to this city centre site but that it need not be done at the expense of history.
What drove the plans, and largely swayed the decision, was simply the architects’ argument that the floor levels in Carliol House could not be linked to the different ones of the new building, also that they did not meet the standards of HMRC who are to occupy it. Therefore they had to go.
The standards were presented as inflexible, though the objectors pointed out that the government accepts that it will have to take a flexible approach where it inherits existing buildings. This should apply even more when occupying a building of the quality of Carliol House. It would appear that the plans are being driven by the architects and have not been seriously questioned in discussions with the council.
If the architects decided Carliol House could not be integrated why not accept this and keep the building as a separate entity, either in its original office/shop use or converted into apartments, with its fine interior features intact and, if necessary, any loss of floorspace to the overall development compensated elsewhere in the new build? This also never appears to have been discussed.
A viable listed building with all its embodied carbon would not then be lost; the cost of demolishing most of it and propping up the facade (incidentally a long discredited way of “saving” a listed building). would not be needed. Newcastle council and the architects would be respecting its history and at the same time still achieve its aim
of bringing jobs. Other solutions are available and let us hope the Secretary of State is willing to say so.
Bev Bagnall, Newcastle