All mod cons

Historic Environment Scotland, in conferring a B listing on a singularly mundane underground car park in Castle Terrace (Scotsman, 24 October), is clearly losing sight of its statutory function while offering itself as a Trojan horse to a largely discredited modernist movement. This insult to our civic intelligence brings no credit to its reputation as an authority of state.

The feeble excuse that we should cherish something hideous because it represents the taste of prescriptive planners at a low point in Edinburgh’s development history is a fallacy which is only further undermined by the values represented by this relic of an age which should in no way be celebrated.

The car, after all, has contributed to a serious decline in public health in terms of air pollution and public safety, while the concrete industry accounts for roughly eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – several times the level from long haul flights.

It’s rather a pity that this particular government agency couldn’t focus its attention on such issues as the bid to add modernist extensions to the Royal High School, the deterioration of the city’s central library, the destruction of the south side of St Andrew Square with no environmental impact assessment, and the imminent appearance of the notorious ‘Golden Turd’ hotel at the east end of Princes Street. Given that the Appleton Tower in George Square

had only just been nominated for destruction by viewers of Channel 4’s Demolition programme at the very time Historic Scotland recommended it for listing, I daresay in a few years we should also expect the latter copper monster to be up for listing.

DAVID J BLACK Glanville Place, Edinburgh