• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 11 July 2001

No, that is why I deliberately said "a period of time". It depends obviously on the nature of what is being done there and various other things. How far are you advanced in your discussions in those areas with local authorities particularly, but other potential partners?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 11 July 2001

You are looking for a small number of sites for projects, where you can have definite influence and where we all will see tangible achievements within a period of time?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 11 July 2001

Are you still intending to look for five? Or are you looking now for more than that, or is it no particular number?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

It is a rather old story.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

Ex-Richmond councillor. Do you acknowledge that the ice rink in question was not owned by the council but was owned privately; that, even had planning permission not been given for the development on the site of it, there was nothing that the council could have done except supply huge amounts of funding, which was not practicable, to keep it going? Would you agree with me that it is about time that Councillor Arbour changed the record?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

Let us hope that they do not take you for a ride, but I am glad that you concede that they have taken the Liberals for a ride.

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

In the light of the success of the ice skating rink at Somerset House, do you regret the failure of Liberal Richmond to replace the ice rink as they promised? That was a major attraction for south-west London, and I would have thought that someone of your generation would have been there many times and understood what a great loss it has been to the local community.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

You said that one of the criteria which led you to feel that the Heron building should go ahead was that it would not overshadow some heritage-type traditional buildings. Yet that will precisely be the case in Paddington, won't it? The tall buildings there on which you are so keen would overshadow a lot of traditional architecture. Furthermore, I read a letter from one of your officers which said that objections to the tall building on the basis that it would ruin people's views from the parks around the area would be unacceptable.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

Ken, perhaps I could, as a preliminary, invite you to say something about English Heritage. [Laughter.] You have just accepted the importance of a public debate on this issue and on the LPAC and other strategies about interfering with important views. If that is so, do you think it is appropriate to support developments which will pre-empt that strategy and make it far more difficult to support a policy of protecting views if those views have been jeopardised?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 28 February 2001

In the light of your oft-expressed views that young men should go east, why don't you think that the appropriate place for tall buildings is at the Thames Gateway rather than in the City - or, indeed, in central London as a whole, where tall buildings such as this will obstruct the heritage views which make London a place of destination and a jot to live in?