It's probably best if I leave my name off any planning applications at work for a while. The AJ published my response to the article they wrote the week before about Philip Singleton, the new head of Birmingham City Council's urban design unit.

Dear AJ,

"University applications are up in both our universities and I have a hunch it is because of this building." - Philip Singleton, AJ number 17/219

Dare I ask which of Birmingham's three universities was left out of the discussion during the interview about Philip Singleton's new role at the City Council? Since applications for the undergraduate course at Birmingham School of Architecture are currently down (perhaps because of this building?), it would appear that the University of Central England is the one that doesn't make the cut.

Good luck to both Birmingham and Aston University*.

Yours sincerely,

Rob Annable

*who, by the way, don't have any architecture courses