Editors column

FROM PLOD TO FILTH

Covent Garden, one of the most illustrious pieces of real estate anywhere, holds some surprises. As you take in the ancient atmosphere, the buzz & culture it's a shock to see a famous building filthy and run down. It's the only police station in Britain with white lights instead of blue. Why? because Queen Victoria preferred white across the street to the Royal Opera House - one of our most famous buildings.

It's an insult to tourists and visitors. The title of this piece is no slur on the bobbies but the state of the building speaks ill of the MPA and the Mayor. Is the public image of our famous policemen now only fit for a museum?

Covent Garden's 'Plod' in the '60s

The building has been empty for about 4 years and abandoned for nearly 2 of them while the MPA who have many other buildings to dispose of, work out how to make some money to supplement their 2 billion annual budget.  All their bean counters could come up with was - guess what - a museum where you pay entrance fees to see old policing ways.

Paying our coppers more and having more of them...now that's a GOOD idea. As it is, the MPA will spend over 3 years building & refurbishing just to relieve tourists and visitors of more of their money. They estimate about 500 people on a busy day, will pay to wander amongst redundant paraphanalia or buy tourist trinkets.

I started to do the math. How much % of how many tourists will be fascinated with policing - over how long to repay the cost of fancy architects, builders, decorators and ..how many millions are we looking at here? We'll need a lot of interest to pay the interest on the loans. They will need a big loan (who's the lucky lender?)- after all the MPA are busy selling off police homes especially the ones used for family accommodation.'because they would cost too much to clean up'(especially in Kensington;-) Why not convert Charlie Bravo (It's code name) into some flats for aprés plod?

Meantime just how much WOULD it cost to clean up the building - or at least for the sake of our public image (Westminster Council perhaps?) clean the windows!! Surely temporary housing for the homeless would not have been too hard to organise?

Hard to believe a dome idea like this can slip through were people having a say.

Next about beggars... the 'homeless'.


editor@scape.co.uk