|
|
 |
| |
Michael Foot |
This glass house will ruin our street, warns Michael Foot
Elder statesman backs neighbours’ campaign against state-of-the-art design
FORMER Labour Party leader Michael Foot may have just celebrated his 94th birthday but, as one property developer in Hampstead is about to find out, he still likes to fight in a good campaign.
The elder statesman of left-wing politics has joined his neighbours protesting at new plans to build a modern, glass-fronted new house at the end of Pilgrims Lane, the leafy avenue where he has lived for more than four decades.
He prizes the street as one of the most picturesque corners of Hampstead and was among residents who campaigned in the 1960s for it to be given a grander name when it was renamed from its dowdy original, Worsley Road.
Residents this week began to band together to oppose proposals by award-winning architects, the Crawford Partnership.
Officials in Camden Council’s planning department are mulling over plans to demolish a five-flat block known as Worsley Court and replace it with a single house.
A consultation period, aimed at discovering what nearby residents think, drew to a close earlier this week.
It is the striking, contemporary design of the new building that has generated concern among residents, with protests ranging from complaints that it is too big, to worries that balconies will lead to an invasion of privacy.
Yesterday (Wednesday), it emerged that Mr Foot, who led the Labour Party in the early 1980s against Margaret Thatcher’s first government, raised his own objection in a letter to planners.
Mr Foot said: “I protest most strongly to the development proposal. I agree with all the objections which have been so articulated in the letter from the Pilgrims to Willoughby Residents Association.”
He added: “I am particularly concerned about the loss of privacy, loss of light and the considerable damage to the visual integrity of this most attractive road.”
Martin Humphery, the vice-president of the Heath and Hampstead Society, who lives in nearby Willoughby Road, said: “Nothing surprises me with planning applications now. The proposed building is just not appropriate for the area. It is too tall. It is mainly glass. It has balconies that look over other people’s properties. It also has underground parking that will mean lots of digging, noise and disruption.”
Mr Humphery said that comparisons with other modern buildings in Hampstead were not appropriate.
“Developers often make that argument, but it doesn’t really apply,” said Mr Humphery.
The Crawford Partnership are market leaders in contemporary design and have a track record that led Camden Council to award them a prize for work on new homes in Kentish Town in 2005.
In documents submitted by the architects, designers argue that the current building is in disrepair and expensive to maintain.
Its design statement said: “The vertical slats give the facade depth, again softening the appearance. They also restrict lines of sight at the rear of the property to remove the risk of overlooking.
“We have proposed glass for the south-east corner of the front facade to offer occupants views across to Hampstead Heath. The balconies on the rear of the building have been limited to again restrict overlooking into the neighbouring properties.”
The Crawford Partnership said that Pilgrims Lane has a tradition for varied and interesting architecture.
Planners are now due to make a decision on whether permission should be granted or refer it to a panel of elected councillors for consideration. |
 |
|
| |
| Your Comments: |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
