Letter: 'House' fits the neighbourhood

Sir: Councillor Flounders has every right to express his personal dislike for Rachel Whiteread's House in your columns, but it seems an abuse of his local authority office for him to imply in his correspondence (Letters, 5 and 17 November) that he speaks for the Bow (parks) committees he chairs in this matter, and that he represents the views of the electors he is meant to serve. Mr Flounders refuses to allow appeals for a stay of execution on House to be formally discussed by the relevant neighbourhood bodies, showing scant regard for normal democratic procedures and the legitimate concerns of local residents.

Nobody knows exactly what the balance of local feeling is towards House at this juncture. Opinion is divided in Bow as it is nationally. But the response to the work's challenging presence is strong, and its power and validity are hotly debated.

We believe that our neighbourhood committees should recognise the considerable swell of public interest in Rachel Whiteread's work, in Bow as elsewhere, and delay demolition - originally set for the end of this month - for the time being.

Yours sincerely,

NIGEL GLENDINNING, ELTON BASH, JOHN BESFORD, SONJA BESFORD, JAMES BOWEN, JOAN GRIFFITHS, PATRICK HALL, MARIAN HOBSON JEANNERET, ELAINE KOWALSKY, LIZ MAUDSLAY, CAROL MORRIS, MONTY NELSON, LINDA PEARCE, VICTORIA POLAND, ALICE SIELLE, SANDRA SUDI, JEANNE WISEMAN

Bow

London, E3

19 November