Opposition to various aspects of the design for St Paul's Cathedral has been voiced recently. The opposition comes from the Church Design Group, an organisation formed recently, although not for the specific purpose of criticising the cathedral's design.

The Group, chaired by John Roberts, proposes to study the nature of church building, both from the architectural and aesthetic point of view and from a consideration of social and liturgical movements influencing the Church.

A public meeting of the Design Group was recently held at St Peter's, Willis Street. The Dean of St Paul's, the Very Rev. W. Hurst, and representatives from the architectural firm of King and Dawson were present to provide background information on the cathedral project. They also answered questions put by members of the audience.

Dean Hurst spoke first, reading a "functional brief" presented to the present architects by standing committee, and expressing his opinions on the need for a cathedral as a tangible link between the city and God.

He estimated that the present plan would provide for almost 2000 worshippers, and that the cost so far bad amounted to approximately £390,000.

Mr. King, of King and Dawson, outlined the background to the drawing-up of the original plan by Mr. Cecil Wood. Mr. King expressed his personal view that the day of the cathedral was past.

With the exception of festivals, he said, such a building could not fulfil the functions of earlier times, and church building should now centre round the parish unit.