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Lotte Hellinga and Jack Lambert in Canonbury Square |
STORM OVER GYM UNDER GARDEN BID
Conservationists warn of threat to trees in Georgian square
HORRIFIED conservationists are opposing plans to dig under the entire length of a back garden to create an underground gym and family room at a house in an historic Canonbury square.
Developers are banned from creating an above-ground extension at the 200-year-old, five-storey Georgian house in listed Canonbury Square. So they have come up with plans for a basement beneath the 100ft-long back garden.
But 400-strong Canonbury Society fears that digging under the back garden will destroy the roots of dozens of mature trees, as well as disturbing the water table, with unknown consequences.
Estate agents point out that in areas where lofts are barred, basement rooms are the latest must-have for the wealthy homeowner. “Channel tunnel” technology allows builders to dig deep without disturbing the surface, although gardens above tend to be shallow.
This week, X Factor star Cheryl Cole and husband, England player Ashley Cole, were refused permission for an underground swimming pool at their mansion in Guildford Surrey. A planning inspector found it a “disproportionate” and “inappropriate” development. In Canonbury Square, nextdoor neighbour, Lotte Hellinga, a retired deputy keeper at the British Library, said that the house was acquired last year by a banker, who wants to build a gym and a “family room” beneath the garden.
Mrs Hellinga added: “I’m worried that by digging down so deep they will undermine the stability of the houses and the garden walls.
“I’m also concerned that the scheme will destroy not just their own mature trees but mine and many others in the neighbourhood.”
Architectural consultant Jack Lambert, a spokesman for Canonbury Society, which is objecting, is unhappy with the plans for a square where writers Evelyn Waugh and George Orwell once lived.
He said: “We believe it will adversely and irreversibly affect the setting of this 200-year-old listed building, as well as the very important terrace and its garden.”
Referring to the “massive scale” of the digging, he maintained it would be “impossible” to predict the long-term damaging effects on mature trees, regardless of the precautions taken to protect them.
“The depth of the underground structure could well disrupt the water table and drainage, with unknown consequences over a large area, causing damage to both trees and buildings,” he said.
Architect for the scheme, Alec Howson from CH Architects in Clerkenwell, said that basement projects were common, particularly around Kensington and Chelsea.
“We will be working with a good team of structural engineers,” he added.
“They have a lot of experience doing this sort of thing.
“We would obviously be concerned about the trees and the water table and would take every precaution to protect them.”
The scheme has been designed to avoid tree damage, he said. “We’ve spent a lot of time investigating where the roots are and will keep well away from them,” he added.
A hydrologist is expected to be employed to ensure the water table is not disrupted. |
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