Interview with Neil Higson about Fred Roche

In this interview Neil discusses Fred Roche, his character. and their working relationship. Fred interviewed him for Runcorn new town; Neil says Fred was: ‘totally … expressionless …a disappointing interview, but later…I got to know the depths of the man and he became my hero’. Fred gave Neil’s landscape architect view absolute equality to established architects and was impressed by Neil’s ability to produce ‘instant landscaping’ by cutting corners. In 1971 Fred offered Neil a job with MKDC but he refused, unhappy to work with Derek Walker. Following a period working in Manchester, Neil was again offered work in MK by Fred; he enabled Neil to set up in a practice, with some MKDC projects offered to him. Eventually, Neil agreed to become Chief Landscape Architect for MKDC and to create the vision of the city of trees. Neil says ‘Undoubtedly it was… presenting a carrot and a hobnailed boot’. Neil admits he tended to overspend to get landscape schemes right, but Fred always supported him; Neil’s special projects like the Tree Cathedral appealed to him. In Neil’s opinion, both Fred and Jock Campbell were: ‘basically very caring people, which goes way beyond politics’ and Neil believes that Fred’s most important contribution to MK was just: ‘Making it happen… a fundamental, architectural planning and social achievement in the making of this unique city’. Neil discusses why Fred moved on from MKDC in the 1980s, and the aims of the Fred Roche Foundation set up to commemorate him.

Discussing Fred’s work, Neil says: ‘Achievement drove him …if he couldn’t achieve he got incredibly frustrated; …when he had achieved, he wanted to achieve something else …he didn’t let things stand in his way’. When Jock Campbell was looking for a new MKDC General Manager and visited Runcorn, Neil says: ‘I think what Jock saw was achievement’. Neil describes Fred as ‘a maker of places … he had a very wide understanding of what was necessary for human beings to live decent lives’. In Neil’s opinion, Fred would be dissatisfied with MK today, seeing the lack of care of some if its key elements. Finally Neil says: ‘Fred was an absolutely unique individual. It’s unfortunate that his name has slipped into semi-obscurity really… this city owes him so much’.