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Peter Darley in the historic tunnels
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Seal-off threat faces historic horse tunnels
Planners blamed for failing to safeguard Lock heritage
A BUNGLE by Town Hall officials could see the entrance to a historic web of tunnels near Camden Lock sealed for ever.
Council officials gave developers the go-ahead in July last year to block up the unique 19th-century horse tunnels, off Oval Road, Camden Town. The Victorian tunnels were used to move horses safely between a work yard and stables.
But a conservation group has called for building work to be halted at the former Jim Henson Muppet Studios after discovering the Grade II-listed tunnels were not acknowledged in the original planning application.
Peter Darley, of the recently-formed Camden Railway Heritage Trust (CRHT), has claimed that blocking up the tunnels is as good as demolition.
Mr Darley, of Regent’s Park Road, said: “Ignorance on the part of those charged with protecting our heritage has failed to protect one end of the tunnel, and the other end of the tunnel, at 30 Oval Road, is now also threatened.”
In December, Mr Darley wrote to English Heritage, the government body responsible for protecting historic buildings, begging it to do “all within its power” to prevent the loss of the tunnels.
A spokeswoman for English Heritage said that, at the time the planning application was submitted, it had not known of the tunnels’ proximity or of their distinctive architecture.
She said: “We were consulted about 30 Oval Road and the redevelopment of a conservation area and we were unhappy with the proposals generally, although at that time the listed tunnel under the building had not been flagged up.
“However, had we been aware of the tunnels we would have taken them into account.”
English Heritage has written to the council’s conservation department calling for further negotiations with the developer to prevent the tunnels being blocked up.
Robert O’Hara, architect for developer Mandrake Properties, said the firm was aware the tunnels were listed but he stressed that they would not be touched.
He added: “We are not doing anything that was not in the planning approval last year. The entrance will be built over but the tunnels will not be touched.”
A Camden press official said: “The council was aware the tunnels existed and that they were listed, however both English Heritage and the council failed to pick up on this when planning permission was granted.”
She admitted that the tunnels were not mentioned in the planning application, adding: “We hold our hands up and apologise about it”.
Work has now been halted while negotiations take place.
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