Top architects' 'rush' warning over Holyrood

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Archiseek / UK / Scotland / News / 2003 / December 2

Scotland's main architectural body issued an early warning that rushing ahead with plans for a Scottish Parliament building could lead to cost problems, the Holyrood Inquiry heard today. Sebastian Tombs, secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, said they had argued for a design competition which would attract the best talent rather than handing the project to "the usual suspects". The inquiry was shown a letter which Mr Tombs sent to the Scottish Office as early as July 1997, long before the Holyrood site was chosen, warning that the timescale proposed for the parliament was "somewhat too short". It added: "Greater speed in such endeavours creates greater risks, particularly with regard to detailed cost analysis and value for money."

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