The strange sight in Somers Town: a dividing wall of two former buildings 

A SLICE of brick wall has been left as an “eyesore” in the heart of Somers Town with neighbours locked in a dispute over demolition plans.

One half of the divide is what remains of the 42 Phoenix Road, the 1930s building once home to the Hopscotch Club.

The other side of this odd scene is what’s left of the 1970s school building that had been part of Maria Fidelis and now overlooks the playground at the redeveloped secondary.

This part was found to contain asbestos last year and, while the harmful material remains safely intact, the removal of the wall will be more complicated.

Duncan Pittaway, owner of the Findlay Estate property investment company, said he could not finish the demolition on his side and start building his planned five-storey block, which will be partly used as new student accommodation.

He said: “My structural engineer has proved that my building was built 50 years before their building and it has to go second in the demolition.”

Mr Pittaway, at the site, says he is frustrated that works have stalled due to the negotiations over the wall

Mr Pittaway said the council should mediate to break the deadlock.

“I’m asking the council what’s going on, because they won’t step up,” he said. “When we found the asbestos I thought that would be enough, because it’s serious enough but no, it’s not. Camden are ignoring that. Here we are a year later and Camden will not have a meeting. They won’t take phone calls.”

His company’s plans for the corner site had sparked some opposition from neighbours and conservationists concerned by the amount of demolition in the area.

Diana Foster, who runs the People’s Museum of Somers Town, close to the site, said: “I would still say that I object to the knocking down of that building in the first place. That was a locally listed building, a lot of people liked it and it had a social history. The running row in the dispute has just left an eyesore.”

She added: “There needs to be a rethinking of this knockdown attitude. I actually went as far as saving a window from it which is lying in a garden at the moment. The windows were so beautiful, they were a feature of the local area and they were something that people recognised. In an area like Somers Town this is what seems to happen and nobody seems to think it matters.”

Gone! The building which has already been demolished

The wall at 40 Phoenix Road – the school side – is owned by the Faithful Companions of Jesus. Maria Fidelis school said in a statement: “Works have been undertaken to make the building safe and secure and the safety of all is paramount. The next stage is for both buildings to be demolished pending agreement with Mr Pittaway.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “The council has issued a Section 215 notice following the partial demolition of 42 Phoenix Road. Section 215 notices are issued when the condition of the site has an adverse visual impact on an area. The council is seeking to ensure the school are able to fully demolish their building, but the process of demolition is a civil matter between the two neighbouring parties.”