Don’t let philistine developers wreck our urban heritage | Simon Jenkins

There’s no point having conservation areas if they are not conserved. The government’s ruling on Paddington cube will be pivotal

fSajid Javid, the communities secretary, must decide this week whether to call in one of the most critical decisions in urban planning. Westminster city council wants to allow a “starchitect”, Renzo Piano, to erect a 19-storey glass cube in a conservation area directly overlooking Paddington station.

The cube is supposedly an alternative to the 72-storey Paddington po...