Camden News: Denning Road | Pilgrim’s Lane | Craig Page | Crushed

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Camden News - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS and DAN CARRIER
Published: 12 March 2009

The building site on the corner of Denning Road and Pilgrim’s Lane where carpenter Craig Page was crushed to death by a crane

Tragic death of carpenter crushed by builders’ crane

Health and Safety officers investigate accident on building site

THE tragedy that led to the death of a 26-year-old father on Friday took place on a building project that had been severely criticised by the Heath and Hampstead Society.
Carpenter Craig Page, of Caledonian Road, Islington, was crushed to death by a five-tonne crane as he worked on a site on the corner of Denning Road and Pilgrim’s Lane. His body lay pinned beneath the crane for more than 12 hours after his death.
An inquest was opened into his death on Tuesday and work on the site has stopped while police and the Health and Safety Executive investigate the incident.
The joint probe is expected to look at how the crane came to tip over.
The works, which involved the demolition of a 1960s home and the construction of a four-storey house including a new basement, had been heavily criticised by conservation group the Heath and Hampstead Society, who on three separate occasions objected to planning permission being granted before work started.
The Society’s Martin Humphery said the project was too large.
He said: “It is a deep excavation in a unsuitable place.
“It is a very difficult thing to build properly.”
Mr Humphery said they had fought two previous schemes that had been thrown out, but the third was passed on appeal.
“We could not have foreseen this terrible accident,” he added.
The building team, which has been on site for seven months, had used a crane to bring in materials.
Yesterday (Wednesday), the site was still quiet, with bunches of flowers marking the spot where Mr Page died.
The site is managed by Harris Calnan, a construction company based in Willesden which specialises in “high-class refurbishments”
Although Mr Page was employed by a sub-contractor and had only been on the site for two weeks.
Director Colin Calnan said: “We’re devastated and shocked by what’s happened and our thoughts are with his wife and family.”
The owners of the property, declined to comment.
Architects Pennington Phillips, based in Gospel Oak, said: “The scheme was granted full planning permission by the London Borough of Camden.”
Mr Craig lived with his partner, Michelle O’Donoghue. They had a toddler daughter.

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