THE composer who recorded the score for cult film Withnail And I has become the latest big name to urge Camden Council to halt the excavation of a new family swimming pool close to the world-famous AIR studios in Hampstead.

Rick Wentworth, one of the movie world’s most sought-after conductors and composers, said the construction work at a neighbouring property in Rosslyn Hill risked “shredding into insignificance” the facility’s reputation for being one of the globe’s most important studios for recording soundtracks.

The New Journal was first to reveal the row surrounding the bid for planning permission after hundreds of musicians wrote to the Town Hall warning that the studios, originally founded by Beatles producer George Martin, would be forced to close for up to six months if disrupted by noisy diggers.

Homeowners Andrew and Elizabeth Jeffreys are waiting to hear from the council as to whether they can proceed with the work.

But David Arnold, the James Bond film score writer, Lion King composer Hans Zimmer and local playwright Sir David Hare are among more than 200 people to file objections.

Now Mr Wentworth has added his complaint, which reads: “I have conducted some of the highest-profile film soundtracks of the past decade at Air Studios including the latest billion dollar grossing New Avengers The Age Of Ultron…. I list the above not out of hubristic self-promotion but as an indication of just how important those revenue streams are to this studio and the unsurpassed talent of the freelance musicians and technicians who inhabit its walls daily.”

Film scorer David Arnold is among those who have already protested about the work planned for the building next door to AIR Studios in Hampstead [Pic: Paul Capewell]

Mr Wentworth, who recorded the Withnail And I soundtrack in 1987 and went on to work on a series of blockbuster films including Tomb Raider, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, added that “the evidence appears compelling, the operation of the studios will be disrupted to the point of closure”. He described the studios at the building, formerly known as Lyndhurst Hall close to the Royal Free Hospital, as having a “remarkable history”.

The Jeffreys family’s application insists there will be no disruption to neighbours. The documentation says: “After long periods of neglect and dereliction the house is once again occupied by a young family that would like to enjoy both the house and garden to their fullest.”

The work would involve the demolition of outbuildings not considered to have great architectural merit as a dining room extension is linked to the main house. 

The final decision may be passed on from council planning officials to elected councillors later this month.