The Victorians certainly knew how to make a building’s look suit its purpose. Lewes Prison, built in 1853, is a case in point. One glance at its towering walls, its grim facade and its ugly gates make you think that this is one place you certainly don’t want to spend any time inside. Perhaps this is what its architect was thinking when he designed it - that its ghastly presence was enough on its own to keep the citizens of the town on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, thanks to the actions of the new governor of the prison, Eoin McLennan Murray, anybody who travels past and those residents unfortunate enough to live nearby are now able to get a much better view of this redbrick monstrosity, once hidden by a canopy of beautiful trees as old as the building itself. Last month Mr McLennan Murray, without public consultation, took it upon himself to chop down scores of trees and open up the view to this unwelcome new landmark. This is the sort of thing that happens when locals are not consulted about new developments that will scar their urban landscape. And this is why it is important for us to get knowledgeable about any future building projects (ie supersize Tesco and the Phoenix Quarter plan) before they happen. So when the planning proposals are finally made public we can make concrete objections before they can create concrete eyesores. So we can become literate in a project’s pitfalls before they are set in stone. Enjoy the week.