CAMDEN Council has approved plans for property firm Foxtons to move into West Hampstead – a decision which will bring the total number of estate agencies in the area to 30.

The company is to begin trading in the old post office in West End Lane, despite a flood of protests from people living nearby who complained that the neighbourhood is already saturated with estate agents. 

Council officer Oliver Nelson said a briefing for councillors that the plans “would bring an active and established business into the unit that would be compatible with the parade in which it relates to. Whilst it has been mentioned there are a number of estate agents within the Town Centre, an A2 use is considered to be a compatible use within the Town Centre.”

Among the official objections received by the council, the WHAT (West Hampstead Amenities and Transport) group had questioned the sense of another estate agent moving into West End Lane.

“There are already estate agents in West Hampstead yet a dearth of properties for sale on the local market which has forced up prices so another estate agent is not needed and will not benefit local residents,” said WHAT’s objection. “An estate agency in this double unit would not enhance this part of the high street.”

Post office services are being run in the nearby James’s Church.

In their application, Foxtons claimed that their arrival would “provide increased variety, vibrancy and choice”.