I’m not about to pass judgement on the architectural merits of 15 Clerkenwell Close (enough people have done that already) but the predicament raises a number of concerns about the planning process.

Neither of the two most fundamental questions is straightforward.

Firstly, should development control be looser or tighter? Should more, or less, information be required? And does it happen at the right stage?

Secondly, could the decision-making process be more objective? Should it be more democratic or less? And are decisions being made by the right people?

On the first, I confess I’m torn.

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