• I AM glad Cllr Danny Beales objects to the government’s proposed changes to planning (Tories’ planning reforms are disastrous, June 3), but why are Camden so poor at implementing the existing planning rules?

A huge 80-metre tower block is being put forward for Museum Street to replace the already 53-metre high Travelodge building, (Tower block does not have enough affordable homes, June 4).

Did the developers hide the fact that the Travelodge contains 11 maisonettes or did Camden’s planners fail to do the most basic check of the existing building?

Despite being in discussions with the developers LabTech for at least two years, Camden planning officers assured us only two months ago that no housing existed within the block.

If the Save Museum Street campaign group had not done their own detective work, the calculations for the correct amount of housing would be for ever too low, cheating the community out of an opportunity for affordable homes.

There appears to be a far too relaxed relationship between Camden and LabTech.

Yes, the Tories will make the situation worse but Cllr Beales’s fears over “short-term profits, loss of housing and lack of community involvement”, are happening right now because Camden is not rigorous enough, is compromised by the amount of CIL, community interest levy, money it can extract from massive developments such as this, and is beguiled by developers like LabTech.

HELENA RODEN
Bury Place, WC1