Can we afford the grand designs for parliament? | Letters

We should demolish the Palace of Westminster rather than spending billions to prop it up, writes Roy Appleyard, while architect Brian Turner calls for a cheaper alternative

The proposal to renovate parliament is the biggest waste of money I have ever heard about (Parliament renovation could take 76 years and cost 22bn, report says, 23 February). The final amount could be double, bearing in mind the history of overspends in major projects. The Palace of Westminster should be pulled down and replaced with a 21st-century building that meets the needs of a modern democracy. The Scots and the Welsh have modern parliament buildings - the English deserve one too.

I can see that the people who do not want to change anything would oppose this. So the Thames frontage could be preserved and the new building could be attached to it.