100 Avenue Road site, delay and more delay

• IT is regrettable that after 10 years the opportunity was not taken by Regal to redesign the 100 Avenue Road scheme for the benefit of everyone, so all the deficiencies remain such as the loss of daylight and sunlight, impact of wind, and vehicular access.

Francoise Findlay in her letter (Accommodation allocated at 100 Avenue Road is compromised, November 21) has identified several issues which I fully share.

Mixing all the vehicles for deliveries, servicing and maintenance, and refuse with everyone walking through the pedestrian area at the top of Eton Avenue, leaving aside the impact of the market stalls, has always been a recipe for disaster.

Rather than trying to improve things, Regal by continuing with the same plan has made things worse: by ignoring the large growth in all manner of home deliveries, both during the day and in the evening; and the extra 52 flats being an increase of 28 per cent in the number of households.

Regal’s idea that the existing tunnel off Eton Avenue under the Hampstead Theatre, could be of much use is quite fanciful and unrealistic.

It is barely wide enough for two small cars to pass and too low for even a lot of sports utility vehicles; and only likely to be open during daylight.

Regal need to be required to produce a sensible, practical, and safe plan for access to the new buildings.

Ideally this should be from Avenue Road; as the proposals, preventing that 10 years ago, of making that stretch of Avenue Road pedestrianised, have been abandoned.

On the registered charity, The Winch, Francoise Findlay’s suggestion of how the Winch’s existing premises in Winchester Road could be refurbished, and it continue to occupy them, is far too sensible; but then Camden Council would be unable to get hold of an empty valuable redevelopment site.

In previous letters of mine, which you have kindly published, I have observed that the change from flats for rental to flats for sale, is very likely, in the absence of any conditions on who can buy the flats, to result in the flats in the tower being owned as a speculative investment from overseas.

More generally the notification for both the latest consultation three weeks ago (November 6 and 8) and the online public meeting on September 23 were very haphazard, so lots of people who would expect to receive notice did not do so; and may still not know about them. Accordingly both these events should be rescheduled again with proper prior notice.

ANTHONY KAY, NW3