Artist’s impression of the proposed Avenue Road development

Published: 4 September, 2014
by DAN CARRIER
>>NEW JOURNAL COMMENT: When disenchantment with politics is allowed to fester (click here)

CAMPAIGNERS have swarmed together in a final push to convince councillors to block plans to build a skyscraper in Swiss Cottage.

They want politicians to ignore the advice of their own planning officers, who this week stunned objectors by recommending that the 24-storey tower is approved.

The crunch will come when the scheme is put before planning councillors next week with hundreds of people living nearby imploring them to vote no.

Developers Essential Living want to demolish a 1980s office block in Avenue Road, the former home of the Ham and High newspaper, and replace it with the skysraper. 

In doing so, they would create the tallest building in the north of the borough, towering over nearby buildings such as the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre. It will be used for private homes.

Sarah Gottleib, one of the organisers of the Save Swiss Cottage Action Group, warned yesterday (Wednesday): “The people of Swiss Cottage and the surrounding areas are fully united in overwhelming opposition to it.”

But in a report to councillors ahead of next week’s meeting, planning officer David Fowler wrote that the scheme could be recommended for approval and then passed on to London Mayor Boris Johnson’s office.

In a conclusion that has upset protesters, he said: “It is acknowledged that, given the height of the proposed tower, there would be some impact on the Belsize Conservation Area, as it would be visible from a number of locations. However, the location above the Underground station, within the town centre with services close by, is an acceptable location for a tall building.”

Essential Living hope to create 142 new homes for rent, a small number of socially rented houses, and shops and a restaurant on the ground floor. They are also offering community centre The Winch, based in a Victorian building opposite, new premises.

But the Save Swiss Cottage Action Group say the scheme is far too big, offers too few affordable homes, will cast much of Belsize Park and Swiss Cottage in shadow and is environmentally unfriendly, as the current block needs a simple refurbishment to bring it up to 21st-century standards. 

In addition, Ms Gottleib said the council had not given opponents to the scheme “reasonable time to study the officers’ report” in order to counter it at Thursday’s public committee meeting.

“The only organisations who have not opposed the development have a clear financial interest in it going ahead,” she said.

Essential Living managing director Scott Hammond said the scheme had been backed by the Design Council and the Greater London Authority, which supported the findings of the report by planning officers.

He added: “This £100m project will be key to securing a much-enhanced town centre at Swiss Cottage. It will deliver new jobs, new spending power, a new home for The Winch at no cost and much-needed affordable housing, as well as some £2m in other contributions.”

The council planning meeting starts at 7pm next Thursday.