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New-look house design is unsuitable to the area
• THE recent exhibition and coverage in the press of the proposed replacement Athlone House demonstrates the massive visual impact that this will have on Hampstead Heath and Kenwood.
The Athlone House Working Group, representing local residents’ organisations, considers that this grandiose design is entirely unsuitable to the area and must not be allowed to dominate the Heath.
Of course, this proposal cannot be permitted, as it is about twice the area of the house it will replace, and is a “materially larger” development on Metropolitan Open Land.
As such, it is “inappropriate development” under national policies, as recently proved locally in the Vale of Health “Garden House”judicial review and Appeal Court decisions.
We have inspected the original historic mansion, and are satisfied that this could be restored to the fine dwelling that it once was, which did respect the Heath. This restoration was a fundamental condition imposed by Camden Council in 2005, as part of a package which allowed the construction of the adjacent three blocks of expensive luxury flats. The new owner must be kept to this condition, and restore Athlone House to its former glory.
Martin Humphery, Gordon Maclean, Jeremy Wright, Heath & Hampstead Society
Marius Reynolds,
Highgate Conservation Area
Advisory Committee
Gordon Forbes, Michael Hammerson,
Highgate Society
Jeremy Wright
for the Athlone House Working Group
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