THE EDITOR: There is a massive concrete and steel building at the foot of Lady Chancellor Road that has been quietly under construction for several years, its contractors and purpose having remained suspiciously hush-hush.

We have finally been told what it is: the Discovery Building “designed in the shape of a butterfly,” and, according to Udecott, with a floor area of over 16,000 square feet consisting “of an exhibition centre, cinema/theatre, restaurant, ice cream parlour, cutters bar, conference or meeting room, offices, information centre, shops, kiosks and outdoor dining, amphitheatre, and children’s play area.”

Behind this hideous, over-designed edifice, a once verdant natural water course originally designated to become a fern garden has been turned into acres of gravel, car park and numerous unsightly sheds piled full of zoo-related junk.

Why can we not see that we are destroying our extraordinary natural beauty, wrongly equating the construction of yet another unnecessary, hideously over-designed and environmentally unfriendly building with First-World sophistication?

While I recognise the good intentions of the various ministers involved, the design of lovely open, shady spaces filled with through-breezes and greenery is absolutely viable.

To add insult to injury, in this instance, the construction is on land specifically given to the public enjoyment of nature and green spaces.

We are now getting a lumpen “butterfly” gazing across the Savannah to NAPA’s “copulating cockroaches” – another shocking example of taxpayer money spent on tasteless, under-utilised excess.

And just to add to my disillusioned frame of mind, during my early Saturday morning walk, I noted that the adjoining Botanical Gardens are absolutely filthy. One has to wonder what they will be like at the end of the weekend. Bins overflow, full garbage bags are stacked up, discarded plastic food and drink containers lie everywhere.

The small external sink near the guard booth was blocked. (I managed to unblock it with a long stick – not for the first time). I dread to think what the public conveniences must be like. And there was also an ironic overturned and overflowing box of chicken debris next to an I CARE bin – also near the main guard booth. Nasty.

BARBARA JARDINE

via e-mail

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