The Herald

Five buildings headed a hit list for demolition in Scotland last night after the leader of Britain's architects called for the nation's ugliest structures to be razed. George Ferguson, 57, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, said the country's worst eyesores should be demolished, with funding being given to property developers to hasten their demise. Mr Ferguson nominated the St James shopping centre in Edinburgh, while Louise Urquhart, of J M Architects, named the UGC cinema in Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Mr Ferguson said: "You look down over Calton Hill, across one of the great views of Edinburgh, and this rude and intrusive building ruins the view. "I want to remove buildings that are plain eyesores, buildings that spoil the view of a church, for example. We need to look at buildings that everyone agrees were a mistake."