Mr. Crossman's Crichel Down?
SIR.--While the fate of Mr. Crossman may now be in some doubt, there can be little doubt as to the fate of the Packington Estate in the hands of the Islington borough council and the demolition con- tractors.
I would like to point out that at the public inquiry Dr. Lichfield demonstrated that the council was going to spend over f1,000,000 for an extra twelve habitable rooms. On the revised scheme I calculate that the true cost for each additional home will be around £50,000.
Economics in this devious affair are obviously secondary to party political considerations. Hpw- ever, for this extravagance surely it is not un- reasonable to expect a scheme of quality—as the Minister originally stipulated. Mr. Crossman still has powers to insist on this stipulation, under Sec= tion 22 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1962, which states in so many words that the Minister has the power to revoke a decision. Ho should now abandon political expediency and show clearly that he cares for the fundamental problems of environmental planning.
JOHN MELVIN
54 Gibson Square. London, NI
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