Fay Ripley at the site set to be transformed into a 78-bed care home

• THE interview with actor Fay Ripley (We are not nimbys, March 30) mirrors the concerns of not only neighbours surrounding the former Mansfield Bowling Club site but also the wider neighbourhood community, as reflected by over 160 objections submitted to Camden Council planning department’s website.

The proposals for a five-storey building, which includes a basement, show an increase in floor space of 84 per cent compared with the 2017 consented scheme and is 127 per cent bigger in floor space than the now demolished bowling club.

The large scale of the application is inappropriate for the site and neighbourhood. As well as the building being far too big and towering over neighbouring houses and gardens the wider community will also see not only a building out of keeping with the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area but will feel the impact of increased traffic and air pollution.

The application, which we consider has underestimated the number of personnel visiting a 78-bed care home, states the site has only moderate transport accessibility. How are the nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, cooks, cleaners, hairdressers, let alone friends and relatives visiting the care home, expected to get there?

By car presumably. Yet the application does not mention the entrance in Croftdown Road being surrounded by schools and being part of Camden’s “Safer Streets” initiative with restricted access and parking restrictions during part of the day.

The planning application states that the transport emissions predicted in the air quality assessment exceed the benchmark derived for an average development of this nature in inner London.

The application fails to address how the recreational area of the development is to be maintained and managed. Security is of concern to those backing onto the site and for those who might consider it a tranquil place to visit. An area hidden from view could be a mecca for anti-social behaviour.

A ROSE, NW5