Nimbyism charge as neighbours oppose extension to house ‘full of character’

THE paint is peeling off the front door. The garage bears a crudely written message: do not park, in use 24 hours – but no car has been left there for years. Smashed windows and leaking gutters tell a story of a slow neglect.
At the back of the house, spring flowers poking their heads through the brambles are all that remains of the formal beds that have long gone to seed in the terraced garden.
Now the tumble-down home in Frognal Way, perhaps the most desirable street in Hampstead, is at the centre of a planning wrangle.
The house, a classic example of modernist 1930s architecture, has been bought by Mayfair property developers who want to add an extension and turn it into a family home.
But the plans have fallen foul of neighbours and conservation groups. They have prompted a debate over whether being in a conservation area is enough to safeguard the future of homes that are not automatically suitable for listed status but are worth preserving anyway.
No 18 Frognal Way was built in 1930 by CHB Quennell, an architect who designed more than 200 houses in Hampstead in a career that spanned 50 years.
He was commissioned by artist Mary Tomkins, who wanted a studio with a house tacked on, and she moved in with her maid when the project was finished.
Frognal Way was a new road – the homes were built between 1924 and 1939. Originally the land had been part of the Frognal Hall estate, and the gated, gravel drive was built to run along the back wall of St John’s churchyard.
The area became a magnet for architects and artists. Frognal Way boasts a home built for Britain’s first iconic movie star, Gracie Fields, and the Sun House, built by architect Maxwell Fry in 1934. The Indian High Commissioner is among its residents.
The collection of inter-war villas, with styles ranging from neo-Georgian to Hollywood Spanish colonial and South African Dutch, are typical of the period – and that makes them worth preserving, according to the 20th Century Society and residents in the cul-de-sac.
But the architect in charge of the project says the home is not up to modern standards and needs to be completely rebuilt.
Architect Keith Mackenzie-Betty said: “This was designed by a mediocre architect who has built 200 homes in Hampstead – two of which are listed. This is a case of not in our backyard and nothing more.”
The home is owned by property developers Steve and Lucy Fitzpatrick, who have a young son. They own two other houses in Hampstead but live in Mayfair.
They bought the house in 2004 and have been working with Mr Mackenzie–Betty.
A design submitted in January would have stripping the inside, ripped out the pavilion-style front of the home, added an extra floor and completely changed the rear, but it was hastily withdrawn after English Heritage considered recommending that the building be listed.
In the event, English Heritage decided against listing, as it believed being in a conservation area should provide enough protection.
Mr Mackenzie-Betty has re-submitted plans for an extension at the three-to-four bedroom home. He is hopeful they will be approved.
Mr Mackenzie-Betty explained: “We think we have got plans that use the house as a base. It’s an awful building at the moment to be used as a home. It is fine as an artist’s studio, but not for a family.”
He plans to add a five-metre extension to the back of the house. It is rumoured he will extend the roof area too.
Mr Mackenzie-Betty added: “That would give better space because the rooms inside are too small for a contemporary family home.”
He said the studio area – a large, airy room with windows looking out on the front and back of the house – detracts from the home. He said: “It’s fine if you want a baronial hall but it is not much good otherwise.”
But neighbours see things differently. Dr Christopher Williams was six when his family moved to Frognal Way in 1943. He said of No 18: “It is a weird but wonderful home – full of character. It was owned by a man called Richmond Craig-Hall. He would come home from work each day and strum his double bass to the radio.
“I remember him well. People had been rationed for some time, and Richmond-Hall’s Argentinian wife had managed to get hold of an entire lamb, so they threw a street party and shared it with the neighbours.”
The last long-term owner was artist Bernard ‘Sam’ Carter, a professor of perspective at the Slade School of Art and an expert on renaissance painter Piero Della Francesca.
It was then bought by a man called Francis Pyke, whose wife, an artist, is the daughter of the owner of the Sloane celebrity hang-out Annabel’s.
Neighbours say she never moved in – although the plan was to use it as a studio – and when the couple split up, the home was on the market again.
Other neighbours echo Dr Williams’ concerns. Architect Douglas Maxwell, whose family have lived in Frognal Way since before he was born and who chairs the street’s residents’ association, said: “The building contains a number of features that are interesting, and even if it’s not listed, it is in a conservation area. The proposals put forward involve the total destruction of the house.”
The 20th Century Society’s spokesman said: “The applicant heard it may be listed and withdrew the application – for now. But English Heritage has recommended it not be listed because it is not special enough and we now expect a fresh application that would ruin the home’s integrity.”
He added that it was only recently discovered that the home was built by Quennell. The spokesman said: “It is a mature work of the architect that skilfully illustrates his ideas of reduced decoration combined with excellent craftsmanship.
“The building remains largely unaltered and many of the original fittings survive, including flooring, main stairs and fireplace.
“The building makes an important contribution to the conservation area and its surroundings include some of Britain’s most remarkable 1930s houses by the modernist architects Maxwell Fry and Connell Ward Lucas. The Quennell building represents a more classical strand of the 30s and enhances the area considerably.”
Historian Christopher Wade, who has written the definitive book on the area, said the architect’s work was crucial to the character of Hampstead. He said: “This is real Quennell country. From 1890 onwards he was building throughout Hampstead.
“His work should be preserved.”