The land standing vacant near Bacton Low Rise

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A HUGE tower could dwarf Queen’s Crescent – as developers U-turn on an originally low rise development proposal.

Bacton Low Rise could become “Bacton high rise” after the developer Mount Anvil recently introduced plans to build a 23-storey tower block on the vacant site.

After the previous estate by Bacton Tower was demolished, the area has been surrounded by hoarding, gathering weeds and becoming a “Serengeti for foxes” since 2018.

Planning permission for the development was approved by the council in 2013 and residents were temporarily relocated from the former estate.

A model of the scheme with the white block showing the proposed new tower

At a recent public consultation for phase two of the plan it was revealed, to the shock of neighbours, that the development will include a 23-storey tower, 15-storey and 12-storey blocks of private flats, alongside low-rise social housing.

Original architect drawings of the site did not include a tall tower.

Wellesley Road resident Henrik Rothe said he would be pleased to see “the gap filled”, as he was tired of looking at hoarding, but added: “No one has ever talked to us about there being a 100-metre building with all the impact of change of a population and of the number of cars. So I’m not against development, but I think throwing a 100-metre tower out of nowhere is not the right way forward.”

Julia Oertli who lives nearby said: “I’ve only lived here for two-and-a-half years, but it was always called the Bacton Low Rise development, which would really fit the neighbourhood.”

The previous planning permission for the site proposed building 247 homes, 61 of which would be at social rent rates. But the updated plan will increase the number of overall homes to 447, with a slightly smaller proportion of social housing (104).

Ms Oertli said: “This is one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. Nobody is going to be able to afford moving in [to the private flats] here. People are really struggling and this is how you’re going to invest the money? To build flats for people who might rent it out and be quite absent. The social housing waitlist is 50 times around the block.”

Resident Robert Lewenstein, who lives opposite, told the developer: “You’re going to take my sky away. “I’d have a massive tower block literally opposite my window. I know there’s a need for housing in London. But this new plan is really over the top. We’re going back to the 70s and 80s. It’s another tower block going up which is much higher than anything else around here so I suppose the impact will be on parking and the infrastructure. There will obviously be light taken away from residents. I think it will be socially not good for the area.”

Bill Bromwich, Robert Lewenstein and Henrik Rothe, who live in Wellesley Road 

He was not aware of the public meeting on October 23 organised by Mount Anvil.

“They had a consultation meeting that I don’t think many people knew about,” Mr Lewenstein said. “It hasn’t been advertised well. I haven’t received any notification through the door. I found out through a friend from a woman on a community WhatsApp group.

“I was walking around the area to see how they advertised the consultation. It’s done very poorly. They haven’t put any notices on the stairwells in the block. There’s A3 laminated posters that have been badly attached to lampposts.”

Bill Bromwich said: “I’ve been to two of Mount Anvil’s drop-ins. They said they were not going to be building tower blocks. “We’re going to be living in a sundial. Sun comes up over there and comes around here, and the shadow cast from a 23-storey block – lovely.” Mr Bromwich was concerned that the local infrastructure would not be able to cope with 400 extra people.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “The Bacton Estate are crucial to building more council homes. This development aims to deliver over 100 council-owned homes for social rent which will go to local residents as well as 10 immediate affordable homes.

“Listening to residents’ views has been a vital part of the design process and we are committed to working with the Gospel Oak community to ensure this project benefits them, future residents and the local area. The project will also deliver improvements to the public realm and social value benefits for the local community. We strongly encourage people to get involved to help shape and inform the design proposals.”

You can share your views on the consultation by visiting: https://bacton.govocal.com/en-GB/projects