The inclusion of a viewing platform cannot justify a skyscraper (News January 18).

View from Shard at night

Source: Andrea Klettner

View from Shard at night

Ask yourself how many of the new towers in the city have viewing facilities? How many people will end up paying to go up in the air and look across at other people looking back at them from other buildings?

Being able to pay £25 to visit a viewing platform does not make democratic architecture.

Rob Craggs
Leeds