Landmarks: Oxford: Wendy Shillam, a London-based architect, reflects on the future of Oxford's Westgate car park
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When you think of Oxford, your thoughts turn immediately to the dreaming spires. However the visitor's first experience is of the huge queue for the Westgate car park stretching back along the ring road. Eventually, you get in to the car park and you're shunted across a bridge to the shopping centre. This bridge is rather like a modern day Bridge of Sighs, where you look out over the real city below, hemmed in meanwhile in this nasty, smelly aluminium and glass structure, dreaming of what might have been.
The car park was built in 1967 and is probably the largest building in Oxford. In that respect, it would be foolish to demolish it, which I see as both wasteful and intrusive. However it is also ridiculous to leave it as a car park. I would close it down and turn it into student housing, which remains one of Oxford's greatest needs and would completely revitalise the blank anonymity of the Westgate Centre. We all have a duty to ensure that never again will arguments of economics be used to justify the less than inspiring architecture which haunts the urban landscape, in this case the dreaming spires of Oxford.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments