YET another monstrous carbuncle is revealed for Ealing's town centre, this one with the ridiculously emollient name of Ealing Cross.

Non-threatening names like this are meant to lend an aura of quality and considered thought to a project and disguise the paucity of architectural merit or thought for the environment and local infrastructure.

Once again we have a set of appalling buildings crammed together on the site,the sole of object of which is to maximise a profit for the developers, in this case Neptune Land. Richard Harding from 'property advisors' DTZ, the agents for the scheme,says that Ealing Cross will pave the way for other large-scale projects like Dickens Yard and Arcadia Centre. What does he mean?

He surely doesn't think when we see the finished scheme that we will be so bowled over by its excellence and 'spectacular views from the top', that we will all rush round to the town hall and clamour for more of the same... only bigger.

Asinine remarks like this prove once again that after bankers, property advisers should be next in line for the public stocks.

COLIN CANT

W5