Chris Smith’s letter saying English Heritage recognises Soho’s vital qualities and supports a conservation-based approach to development in the area is encouraging (Letters, 10 February). It is to be hoped that English Heritage might make this commitment a reality by supporting the people of Soho in resisting damaging development proposals submitted to Westminster city council that threaten the architectural and historical integrity of one of the area’s few surviving groups of 19th-century carriage-houses and stables and the future of the business they contain, the Yard in Rupert Street, one of the area’s best-known bars.
Though not listed, the buildings and the open courtyard comprising the Yard contribute significantly to the particular character of the area. It is disappointing that the council’s planning officers are recommending these proposals for approval. This is the very type of case where English Heritage’s intervention is crucial if Soho’s distinctive character and significance are to be effectively sustained.
Andy Jones (owner of the Yard)
London
