INCONGRUITY COMES TO THE FORE!

This week we were presented with a perfect example of situational irony when Cllr John Taylor, (AKA WAG Taylor) allegedly penned a letter praising the recent educational achievements of many of the students from secondary schools across Tameside.

Now there’s nothing wrong with passing a sincere sentiment, but coming from such an ‘uncut stone’ as the self-decorated councillor, well, it’s like a marriage counsellor filing for divorce or as daft as launching an anti-technology website!

What John Taylor knows about the rigours of sitting exams, let alone passing them, one could write on the back of a postage stamp! 

In all probability he didn't earn the nickname John ‘WAG’ Taylor for his exceptional school attendance record, or, paradoxically, maybe he did!

Now to change the subject.

This week saw ‘The Carbuncle Cup’ awarded to ‘the Walkie-Talkie’ building in London.

This accolade was  granted for being voted the ugliest building in the country! - But hold the front page here, for it would seem that Tameside College in collaboration with the council; who chase every award going, no matter how ridiculous its origin, could well sweep the board next year when they unveil the first phase of the Collage upgrade.

Located on Stamford Street, we are told that when finished the Centre will be an iconic five storey building providing a cutting edge learning facility!

Here it looks like the architect took the ‘cutting edge’ part of the brief rather too literally and has not only given the structure a cutting edge, but has thrown in an enormous ‘cheese grater’ to boot!

My great fear is that this blot on the landscape is merely the beginning not the end, as future carbuncles appear to be mushrooming across the borough at astonishing speed.

There are many local architects who have endured the familiar frustration of having minor planning applications refused on spurious grounds; submitting plans that the authority have refused stating that they were considered of ‘unacceptable detriment to local character’ yet here we have the local planning authority passing designs that appear to be trying to provide the next logical progression in the Prince Charles pastiche by inflicting a strange wedge, a giant multi-coloured oil filter on stilts and a large shoebox of a building on the urban landscape.

Perhaps Cllr Taylor in his role as the chap responsible for all that’s wrong with Tameside can explain in his next letter the architectural intent of these monstrosities for our edification.

What is now becoming increasingly clear is that Tameside’s planning system that is spawning these urban monstrosities is entirely unfit for purpose.