Artist’s impression of how the tower at 100 Avenue Road in Swiss Cottage was meant to look

• RASHID Iqbal, chief executive of the Winch youth project in Swiss Cottage, is right to be worried that the developers behind the 100 Avenue Road scheme could renege on their promise to include space for its activities in the blocks to be dumped on the site, but now “paused” for at least the rest of this year, and probably all of next too.

Essential Living (Swiss Cottage) Ltd, based in the Channel Islands, is only interested in making money and, given the great uncertainties surrounding the expansion of office space across London, is already realising that its flats, largely aimed at company managers passing though London, may never be used to the extent they need.

So they will be looking at ways of cutting back on their costs, with the space for the Winch being target No 1, probably followed by cutting the few “affordable” flats they grudgingly allowed in the 185-flat development, with 24-storey tower and two awful seven- and five-storey slab side blocks running the whole length of the park, right up to the Grade II-listed library.

But will Camden Council allow them to do this? Probably – they have been supine right from the start back in 2013 when the then head of planning happily worked with EL to develop their awful overdevelopment.

Our councillors realised how devastating the plans would be and voted it out but, after an appeal led by an inspector from Bristol, the plans were rubber-stamped and the Tory minister said nothing.

But how long will the site be allowed to sit there with nothing happening? It could be years – EL sat on one site in Sittingbourne, Kent, for over five years.

There are, however, two serious immediate concerns.

With the site cleared, the park and all surrounding homes are now exposed to the noise and fumes from the Swiss Cottage gyratory system, now coming back to “normal” levels of use; and the A41 frontage is blocked off, with the disused “Pit Lane” blocking one lane.

This necessitated the removal of the most convenient bus stop. So all passengers, including disabled ones, have to walk to the stops on the northern section of Finchley Road.

Both problems can be easily dealt with: a taller hoarding could shield at least some of the noise and pollution, while reinstating the unused Pit Lane just requires the removal of some plastic bollards, a couple of hours work at most.

Of course, Transport for London might take six months reinstating the bus stop but perhaps, for once, even they can move swiftly. The stop could be back in use in a week.

Will councillors act, “take back control” and make Camden’s officers act for the community for a change?

DAVID REED
Eton Avenue, NW3