How the new development is planned to look

PEOPLE living in Kentish Town have warned they have not been given enough time to consider the impact of a £1billion “film quarter” development.

Anybody who wants to either support or object to the radical overhaul of the Regis Road industrial estate must register their comments with the council by December 14.

The plans are set to change the face ­– and skyline – of NW5 with a film studio complex billed as Britain’s answer to Hollywood.

Developer Yoo Capital has lodged designs for a new recycling centre and space for businesses, alongside 24-storey blocks to provide 500 homes.

For the movie world, there will be a film school, eight sound stages and associated workshops for film production. It could be completed by 2030 if consent is granted next year.

But the Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum said the speed at which such a huge scheme is going through the council is too fast.

Its vice chair Dee Searle told the New Journal: “We are constantly bumping into people who are completely unaware of the dense mix of facilities coming to their doorsteps.”

Ms Searle said the cut-off for comments was too soon given there were more than 200 documents connected to the application to read.

She added: “We are still awaiting information on how Kentish Town’s physical and social infrastructure, such as transport and GP services, will cope with the huge influx of new residents and workers.”

Under Yoo Capital’s plans, the tower blocks will include 50 per cent affordable housing. The designs also show new landscaped gardens, a footway leading towards Hampstead Heath, and a section described as a “makers lane” that would be let to light industrial businesses and shops. The site would also create a new campus for the National Film and Television School with an estimated 3,000 new jobs.

Another artist’s impression of the ‘film quarter’ plans

The application also includes a “talent” hotel – allowing A-list movie stars to find lodgings close to the studios. Other elements include a cinema linked to the London Film Academy and a yet to be specified “visitor attraction”.

The developer, which was behind the redevelopment of Olympia in west London, told the New Journal it would make itself available to help explain the minutiae of the application.

Architect Trevor Morris said: “We are committed to the timescale and we are open to helping with any clarifications. Our relationship with neighbourhood groups has always been a collaborative one.”

Objections lodged at the Town Hall include concerns for the future of current businesses, including mechanics, caterers and building supplies.

Among the first to be received by planners, a resident who lives in nearby Burghley Road, told the Town Hall: “The imposition of a privatised, commercial and exclusive space represents a wasted opportunity to use this previously neglected asset in a way that would benefit those who live here.”

Camden’s Conservatives, meanwhile, are in opposition due to the height of the towers which they say will ruin views from Hampstead Heath.

Yoo Capital’s managing director Lloyd Lee said that Yoo Capital had negotiated with existing businesses: some decided to either move on or close, while others will have new premises on site.

He said: “This is an identified regeneration area. The master plan has guided everything from roads and connections to open spaces and affordable housing. It has gone through various design evolutions.

“Camden has a long-term responsibility to look after people with education, employment and housing. This means you have to intensify the use of your assets, to create the school places, the internships, the affordable housing – all things we are creating here.

“It is a bold vision, and one that is wholly appropriate.”

Tories: Stop ‘Dannywood’

MP Danny Beales during his time as a Camden councillor

CAMDEN’S Conservative group made clear they want changes to the designs for the Regis Road site on Monday night ­­– warning that tall towers would ruin views from Hampstead Heath.

Group leader Steve Adams said the plans were a legacy of former regeneration chief Danny Beales, the Labour councillor who left the Town Hall last year to become an MP in Uxbridge. He described a proposed tower as a “megalith” during a speech to Monday’s full council meeting, adding: “Apparently the spirit of Gotham is being applied. The proposed studio building is 113 meters high, at least four times taller than this Town Hall… This proposal is too big for this site. Kentish Town does not need and cannot accommodate Dannywood.”