A heated debate

As many of you know, USM's proposal for the temporary relocation of the market and shops revolves around a tent on Cutty Sark Gardens. This is, I believe, the same tent USM Supremo Eric Reynolds offered to Greenwich Gateway for the millennium. Presumably it will have survived its nine years in storage well and will have the desired "wow factor" when unveiled next year. I'll have more to say on this later; for now I want to confine my comments to the issue of heating.

From the beginning, when the traders found out they were expected to do business in a tent by the river, it has been their contention that the tent must be heated in winter. Given the exposure of the location, this was always a requirement for traders and the comfort of customers.

Throughout the various meetings that the traders had with Greenwich Hospital and others it was always a given that the tent would be heated. Kate Jaconello, Nick Raynsford M.P., and Councillor Maureen O'Mara have all made the heating a sticking point. In meetings, Eric Dolby and Martin Sands of Greenwich Hospital have expressed their agreement with traders over the matter.

In the minutes of the KSCG meeting of the 19th November 2007, at which Eric Reynolds represented USM, it was noted that:

The market would be housed in a tented structure that would be suitable to meet the requirements of the stallholders, e.g. heating, access, lavatories.

For some reason Eric Reynolds has been heard to hum and haw subsequently about the heating issue. The minutes of the KSCG meeting of the 28th April this year make Eric's objections clear:

There were some concerns about the operational aspects of the tented structure. This included concerns about servicing, security, heating, sanitation, water supply and health & safety. In addition it was pointed out that having both ends of the tent open to the elements could create a wind tunnel effect through the structure.

It was commented that a temporary structure would be difficult to heat and in addition it was illegal to heat temporary structures. It was suggested that the entrances could be arranged such that a wind tunnel was not created.

Eric gave further voice to his objection to heating at the first meeting of the Community Liaison Group (CLG) on the 10th June, where he revealed the glorious tent to a wider audience. According to the minutes:

It was questioned whether the tented structure would be heated or not. It was commented that it was not practical to heat an un-insulated structure aside from the fact that it is against building regulations to heat a temporary structure.

Illegal, indeed? Against building regulations? Who says? Have you been a naughty boy again, Eric? As the recipient of one of their honours, surely you could have asked one of your RIBA contacts for clarification before trotting out this line again. You might even have asked one of the architects who are always present at KSCG meetings. Failing to check your assertion that it's "illegal to heat temporary structures" and "against building regulations", when both are false, makes it look like you're lying to the committees. As anyone who's ever been to an outdoor event in the inclement months knows, temporary structures are heated all the time.

Five minutes on Google with the search term "marquee heating" turns up loads of sites offering such a service and lots of advice. Further research unearths some genuine experts in the field of temporary structures. I recommend:

• GL events Owen Brown
  
• Temporary Structures UK
  
• A Structures
  

All would be delighted to provide a proper temporary structure; heated, cooled, lit, ventilated, insulated, secure, etc.

Note to Greenwich Hospital: Ditch Eric and his tent - surely this is important enough to get it done by professionals.