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Artist’s impression of a new block planned for Delancey Street |
Planners back flats block dismissed as ugly and visually offensive
ONE of Europe’s leading architects listened as his plans for a new block of offices and flats in Camden Town were described as “ugly”, “lamentable” and “a missed opportunity” on Thursday.
Despite the criticism, Nick Baker, who helped design the “Gherkin” building in the City, saw his blueprint for the Parkway block approved at a planning meeting. The five-storey block will be built on the site of a car tyre shop at the junction with Delancey Street.
Russell Grant, from Camden Town Conservation Area Advisory Committee and Delancey Street Residents’ Association, said the plans would create an “abrupt, ugly junction”. He described the design as “a lamentable derivative of the multitude of other bland, nondescript developments currently mushrooming all over the capital and the outer suburbs”.
Mr Grant added: “Winston Churchill once wrote that ‘we shape our buildings and, in time, they shape us’. The eclectic, ad-hoc, 19th century architectural character of Camden Town is the very thing that makes it a world-famous, attractive, singular and desirable place in which to live, work and visit.
“Sadly, so many much-loved local amenities have recently been, are currently being or are about to be destroyed for ever.”
Although approving the design, councillors were critical of the proposed block. Lib Dem councillor Flick Rea said: “Buildings go in different directions and you’ve got something that is visually offensive.”
Conservative councillor Mike Greene added: “I wonder if it might have worked better with some setback on the top two storeys. I consider it an opportunity missed, but we are clearly going to be improving on what’s there at the moment.”
Mr Baker pointed out: “While we respect the views of residents, the planning report considers the scheme ‘well-conceived and contextually responsive in terms of height, bulk and massing, particularly in terms of its proportions and efforts to improve the ground-floor public realm’.” |
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