A DRAMATIC photograph of a two-storey building standing alone, perched high on a tall island surrounded by a vast excavation, has struck a chord with Farnham campaigner Eric Boyle. The picture, seen in various newspapers last week, showed the house of Wu Ping in Chongquing, China. The homeowner had fought developers for two years while her home sat in the middle of a construction site. Mr Boyle, of the East Street Action pressure group, found himself fearing such a precarious situation could be the shape of things to come for the listed Brightwell House, albeit temporarily, if the Crest Nicholson Sainsbury's (CNS) redevelopment plan proceeds. "The photograph bears a striking resemblance to the extent of excavation that would have to be carried out at East Street to leave Brightwell House on its own foundations, after demolition of the Redgrave Theatre and digging out surrounding ground for the intended five-acre underground car park. "Although CNS would not have to excavate close to Brightwell House until the theatre had been removed, the photograph indicates the very small part of the total site that would be left unexcavated." He believes that the areas of the two sites must be similar, although the Chinese excavation is probably more than twice the average depth required at East Street. Nevertheless, the removal of excavated soil could amount to between nine and 15 months' worth of work, he warned. And stabilising the foundations of Brightwell House, demolishing the attached theatre and then excavating on all sides of it would be a difficult and expensive operation. "Looking at the photo might stir a lot of people into thinking about the vastness of the CNS proposals, and the prospect of all but one of the new buildings and all of the gardens being constructed on the roof of an underground car park." The photograph of Wu Ping's home, which was torn down last week, can be seen on the BBC website at http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/">www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/ 6483997.stm.
