Hylda Court

A UNIQUE Art Deco block of flats described as a “period piece” by architectural guru Sir Nikolaus Pevsner would be ruined if its owners get the green light to add a new rooftop penthouse floor, according to tenants.

Residents of the 1930s-built Hylda Court in St Albans Road, Parliament Hill Fields say their celebrated Ocean-liner style homes would be irreparably damaged by a plan to add penthouse flats on its roof and demolishing garages and a former caretakers home at the rear.

It would lead to overcrowding on the site and rob tenants of vital storage space.

Hylda Court was designed by British Modernist Clifford Culpin and impressed Pevsner when he embarked on his comprehensive survey of buildings in England: Pevsner called it an “Art Deco period piece” and noted it was like no other in the area.

While it currently does not have listed status, it has been dubbed a ‘building of note’ in the area’s conservation plan and the 20th Century Society has asked Historic England to look closely at the plans.

Owners Bankway Properties withdrew a previous application in November last year, which had attracted more than 50 objections.

They had hoped to win permission to build the rooftop extension and a terrace of new homes at the back of the site.

Bankway claimed  they needed more time to complete a bat survey.

Tenants told the New Journal the plans provided no benefits and plenty of harm.

A Hylda Court tenant: “Raising the roof from five to six storeys will seriously damage the architectural balance of landmark heritage buildings.”

The resident added the proposed homes were not the type the borough desperately needs.

“This scheme offers housing that fails to address Camden’s needs,” they said.

“Only luxury flats are proposed, with no affordable housing despite Camden’s acute need for genuinely affordable, family-sized homes.”

The work would disrupt both the people who lived in the block, and impact on La Sainte Union school, which backs onto the land, the tenant said, adding: “The new dwellings reduce light, increase overlooking, and add noise from rooftop and ground-level air source heat pumps.”

Objectors added that the tangible green benefits the developers’ claim that a sedum roof would bring were “negligible” and the changes offered in the face of more than 50 objections were “cosmetic” and wholly unacceptable.

The tenant added: “The supposed benefits are minimal, while the harms to heritage, residents, and community wellbeing are serious and irreversible.

“We also want to call on fellow residents of Dartmouth Park and Hampstead Heath users to add their voices. Every objection counts, and we urge Camden to respect the character of this historic area and the quality of life of those who live here.”

In the application, the owners said they have noted previous objections and had now done a bat survey.

“The objective of the development is to positively utilise this brownfield site and provide overall enhancements to the conservation area, whilst also providing additional dwellings in this sustainable location,” documents filed with the council’s planning departments said.