黑洞社区

BoJo blunders

Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson was on slightly unsure form at the National House 黑洞社区 Council鈥檚 entertaining housing hustings last week. BoJo made a series of un-planned commitments, including over the private rented sector and re-naming his housing division as 鈥淗omes for London鈥�. He also seemed unaware, when asked to say when his housing manifesto was coming out, that he鈥檇 already published a series of commitments on housing policy within his 鈥淕rowing the London economy鈥� manifesto. Most entertaining was his confirmation - denied by Crossrail at the time - that the coalition had considered canning the project. 鈥淲e rescued Crossrail. It would have been chopped by the Treasury,鈥� he trumpeted. He was also unable to contain a dig at one of his erstwhile Conservative colleagues: 鈥淲e rescued it from the jaws of death, otherwise known as George Osborne.鈥� Miaow.

An Olympic marriage proposal

With his role at the Olympic Delivery Authority coming to an end, it鈥檚 hardly surprising that chair Sir John Armitt is looking for alternative employment. Last week he described the Olympic basketball arena as 鈥渁 big marquee鈥� and proceeded to offer it for hire to delegates at EDF鈥檚 TalkPower conference, saying: 鈥淚f any of you are planning a wedding鈥︹�� Perhaps the former contractor boss has got a taste for the events business in general and is eyeing a new career as a wedding planner.

A tern for the worse

Last week鈥檚 Alan Cherry memorial lecture, organised by this magazine in partnership with Countryside Properties, was enlivened by planning consultant David Lock at his acerbic best. In a debate on design quality, Lock took issue with fellow panellist Labour MP Nick Raynsford. Raynsford suggested the government should follow the example of Greenwich Millennium Village, developed under the last government, and where he just happens to live. The MP praised the scheme鈥檚 low heating bills and remarked that the nature reserve had even attracted the odd Arctic tern. Lock, who claimed the scheme had been too costly, was having none of this, saying the site might have been better off left to the terns, rather than the 鈥渉ighly subsidised鈥� people who live there.

Don鈥檛 leave any Gleeds bills unpaid鈥�

QSs don鈥檛 have a reputation as the most exciting bunch. But is this deserved? A tweet from global QS Gleeds chairman Richard Steer could help dispel the myth. Steer was amazed to discover his firm counted a Qatari cage fighter, Indian national dance champion and Hungarian Olympic swimmer among its staff. A cage fighter could certainly prove useful if there are any outstanding bills to chase. I know who I鈥檇 send around to collect.

Cover鈥檚 strong point

It鈥檚 not every day you get two of the world鈥檚 strongest men pop in to your workplace to break a world record. But that鈥檚 exactly what happened at builders鈥� merchant Covers in Horsham this month. Current and former UK Strongest Man Ed Hall and Glenn Ross visited the firm鈥檚 HQ to lift an astounding 25 bricks each - beating the world record of 24. I think I鈥檒l just stick to the weights in the office gym.