Buildings opposite Waitrose near Finchley Road tube station

• WE accept cities evolve as buildings age and need replacing, also our needs change as we will be finding out in the coming months and years as our whole shopping, office, and residential needs adapt to the impact of the pandemic, (Overhaul of planning system is a ‘developer’s charter’, August 13).

A faster and more efficient planning process makes sense but first we have to agree on what planning means and what it should aim to do.

Our definition would be something like: “creating stylistically harmonious and co-ordinated neighbourhoods which meet the diverse needs of the residents as well as the owners of land and buildings”.

A quick look around Camden confirms that this has not been the case here for decades.

Almost always the planners simply evaluate a building proposed for a site in complete isolation so they make no attempt to match the style of any neighbouring buildings, often even ignoring basic matters such as the number of storeys.

A prime example of Camden’s failures is the set of buildings opposite Waitrose near Finchley Road tube station (pictured above): a trio of buildings has been stuck onto the end of a terrace and, in complete honesty, you could not get a worse combination of styles if you let a two-year-old do it.

Originally there was a red brick block, with Cotswold stone lower levels, next to which Camden’s planners dumped the grey stone and glass block, barely matching window levels and, most recently, they approved the awful green and grey steel building, with balconies for making sure residents get their fair share of the fumes and noise from the main road.

It’s a simply awful set of buildings, despite the years planning permission took to be granted.

Then look at the plans for 100 Avenue Road and see how abysmally they match local buildings.

The main 24-storey tower is four times as high as any nearby buildings; and the pair of side blocks of five and seven storeys – with no architectural merit – will overshadow the whole area, including the small local park. These bland blocks will utterly dominate the grade II-listed Swiss Cottage library.

This development is “paused” for the rest of this year, and probably all of next, as the developer has reportedly run out of money, while its high-rent model for visiting business people evaporates in post-coronavirus re-evaluations.

We may be stuck with a hole in the ground for some time. So when will Camden or Transport for London demand that Avenue Road be reinstated, along with the vital bus stop?

This would involve less than half a day of work and would save people, especially the elderly or disabled, a difficult and dangerous walk to the nearest alternative bus stop. Or is their contempt for the residents utter and complete?

MONIKA CARO – Chair
DAVID REED – Treasurer
Save Swiss Cottage Action Group