The 02 Centre is going to be demolished

A DEVELOPER under pressure to build affordable homes in one of Camden’s biggest regeneration schemes has responded to a raft of objections by boosting its proposed quota … by 1 per cent.

Land Securities said it had “reviewed and proposed changes” to the first phase of its plans for the O2 Centre – centring on car park site in Finchley Road.

Following hundreds of objections, the new proposed “affordable” housing floorspace has risen from 35 to 36 per cent in phase one of the plan – and three more of the homes on the giant overhaul will be designated as “low rent” and another at “intermediate” rent.

The play space in the overall scheme has increased from 2,100 to 2,130 square metres – the size of one small garden.

There has been an unprecedented number of objections lodged with the council since proposals were submitted to the Town Hall in February. Residents have opposed the scale of the overall scheme – and dubbed it a “human warehousing” project.

Landsec want to demolish the O2 Centre, Homebase and the Sainsbury’s car park in a scheme that will in total create 1,800 new homes – largely for the private market.

Campaigners had called for two staircases to be included in some of the taller buildings, but Landsec’s consultants says it does not need to do this and can still meet fire regulations.

In one recent objection, West Hampstead Cllr Shiva Tiwari said: “Residents are concerned that the new properties will largely be populated by wealthy new residents and speculative investors rather than seeking to enhance the housing conditions of our existing residents without such financial means.”

He added that “in my view if you can’t play a quick game of five-a-side football in patch of land then it isn’t “green space” but “green bordering”.

Other objections have called for a GP surgery and leisure facility to be included in the plans and also millions to be put up to pay for West Hampstead tube station to be made accessible for disabled people.

Simon Inglis, an architecture expert and West Hampstead resident, said: “The development is clearly trying to pack too many people and too many flats into the space available”.

Tim Trillo, a development director at Landsec said: “The O2 Centre Masterplan is all about creating something better than before and that’s why we’ve submitted an update to our previous application to improve and refine it in line with feedback from technical consultees and Camden’s planning officers.”