The ribbon was cut on the ‘reimagined’ Princes Circus [Mickey LF Lee]

• FOLLOWING the controversial road layout changes in Gower Street and adjacent areas, it became possible to change the two triangular spaces at the top of Shaftesbury Avenue (Princes Circus, between the Oasis swimming pool and New Oxford Street) by paving over two short stubs of road; the existing pedestrian areas alongside were remodelled at the same time.

To mark the completion of these works on Shaftesbury Avenue, which have taken a year or more, and cost, no doubt, a small fortune in “design” fees alone, representatives of Camden Council and others involved cut a ribbon at the site recently; this was pictured in the August 3 issue of the CNJ, along with a photograph of one half of the revamped area (see above).

I live nearby and found it hard to relate the photo to reality. I’ve since found pretty much the one spot you can stand where, with the right camera lens, you can make it look like that.

Yes, the extra greenery planted round the trees, which were there already, and the better seating make it look attractive in nice weather (providing you don’t look a few degrees in any other direction and don’t breathe in the traffic fumes from a few yards behind you); though it seems a lot of fuss for such superficial changes.

However the changes to the other half of the site, away from the ribbon-cutting, are less superficial, and rather less inspiring.

‘A sterile, ugly, space…’

See, above right, a similarly tastefully-composed photograph of what the public relations event failed to highlight: a sterile, ugly, space where once there were trees (including the most magnificent and mature of the trees in that area).

It’s clear to me that the degreening and uglifying of one half of the space easily outweighs the prettifying of the other half.

But judge for yourself.

ALBERT BEALE, WC1