Letter from London

摘要

Civil servants are starting to think about the timing of new government policies, bearing in mind the forthcoming general election and the 'purdah' which precedes it. As 7 May approaches, definitive policy announcements will vanish from Westminster, but transfer to the election manifestos of the political parties. Where might architecture feature in all this? On the face of it, the present government can claim to have architecture on its mind - via the Farrell Review commissioned by culture minister Ed Vaizey. The review makes a series of recommendations that could be adopted tomorrow by any of the political parties, but the Conservatives have made the running.