The Alexandra and Ainsworth estate

• CONCERNING the replacement heating for the Alexandra and Ainsworth estate, (Why innovative estate’s heating system is stuck in the past, January 4), Camden’s housing lead councillor Meric Apak is quoted as having said, “As a Grade II-listed estate, we must take care when upgrading the existing services such as heating. We have worked closely with consultants and planners, and have consulted widely with residents…”

Not widely enough. If Cllr Apak really believes our estate is listed at Grade II he is very badly informed. It is listed at Grade II*, not Grade II. This means that the interiors must be treated with the same respect as the exteriors.

Being listed at Grade II* means that our interiors must not be wrecked, which is exactly what Camden Council is proposing to do.

Their planned changes will  wreck approximately 500 listed interiors by adding horrible new pipework, radiators, and heat interface units, with severe disruption and damage to the wall surfaces, the original skirtings that are flush with the walls, and the sliding screens that separate the rooms. The damage would be irreversible.

We residents have never understood how Camden could ever have got Historic England to agree to this. We have never had an answer.

Perhaps Cllr Apak is letting the cat out of the bag. By wrecking our interiors, Camden would indeed be able to downgrade the listing from Grade II* to Grade II. Some of us suspect that is what’s going on here.

TOM MUIRHEAD
Address supplied