§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Environment if he will state the grounds on which it was decided that the Oxo tower, and the Stamford wharf and Nelson's wharf buildings did not qualify under the selection criteria for statutory listing.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe Oxo tower was considered for listing by the Historic Buildings Council in 1980, as part of a study made to develop the principles of selection for inter-war buildings, and was recommended as not qualifying. Following a recent request to reconsider the case for listing the buildings, I received expert advice that the massing of the tower is no more than typical of its period, and the incorporation of the company name is not unique; and that neither the supporting building, Stamford wharf, nor the adjacent Nelson's wharf is of sufficient architectural or historic interest to qualify. I have therefore decided that these buildings should not be included in the statutory list.