• THE formal consultation window on the 19-storey development at Murphy’s Yard closes today (Thursday). But people can still comment and object to Camden Council, and I urge residents to do so.

The stand-out objections raised so far with the proposal are to the 19-storey tower blocks. These are being used not just to squeeze up to 825 flats into a small space, but they are not necessary to do so and they aren’t the best way to do it either.

We have seen in nearby Gospel Oak that high housing densities can be achieved by reflecting traditional streets: improving the sense of community and fitting in to established communities nearby.

The contrast between Gospel Oak’s problem-bedraggled high-rise estates and its more successful low-rise estates is clear, and Camden Council should learn from it.

Instead of encouraging developers to build high-rises, Camden should encourage gentle density in the form of mid-rise mansion blocks.

Look across Gordon House Road to Lissenden Gardens: a high-density estate of mostly six-storey mansion blocks that retain a sense of community and of place that the Murphy’s Yard’s 19-storey proposal lacks.

There is a reason that the London Plan – at the government’s insistence and Sadiq Khan’s acceptance – now bans high-rises outside of areas specifically designated as being suited to high-rises.

As well as the impact on residents, a series of carbuncles would obscure the protected view from Parliament Hill. One can understand high-rise buildings in Canary Wharf, but Hampstead Heath is not Canary Wharf.

I am calling on the developers to halt and rethink and for Camden to refuse permission; and I urge residents to email objections to Camden’s planning department to encourage it to be refused. The need for housing is clear but high-rises are the wrong way to build it.

NIGEL RUMBLE
Conservative candidate for Gospel Oak ward