Tonight is the second and last evening of the exhibition at the Steam Museum of the plans for building a 32 storey tower on what was the NatWest Bank site at the Gunnersbury (Chiswick) Roundabout. I went last night and it was a thoroughly depressing experience. There was a cheap foam model which had already had to have some lumps removed, and a dozen graphic panels which were no more than upgraded flip charts of the architects’ and developer’s first thoughts. There was the usual developer language about such things as the public realm (like wider pavements) and clever photos of how it would look from different angles, though not of course from Gunnersbury Park, that piece of the “public realm” which it will dominate. There are likely to be other development sites near the roundabout, and they will try to build up to the height of their tallest neighbour, so the impact over the next few years may be greater than merely one building. Their web site has nothing on it (www.chiswickroundaboutplans.co.uk). The most informative article is the one on the ChiswickW4 and BrentfordTW8 site. Because there was so little substance, it felt like a cheap try-on to test reaction, though there were not many people there. We saw one visitor get short shrift from a smirking developer who told her the Council would not be bothered by her particular concern (the increase in congestion).The clearest reaction to the scheme I heard was “You must be joking”.

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