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The proposed development |
New house design 'unsympathetic'
PLANS to demolish one of the houses on Keats Grove –
where poet John Keats lived between 1818 and 1820 and which
is part of the Hampstead conservation area – and erect
a modern glass and render three-storey building in its place
are causing concern amongst conservationists.
The application by Steven Bobasch, a merchant banker from
East Heath Road, Hampstead, proposes to knock down a two-storey
detached house in Keats Grove and erect a bigger one in its
place.
Neighbours include actress Janet Suzman, and next door was the
home to Lord Herbert Asquith, the Liberal prime minister, the
house was originally owned by Mr Bobasch’s mother.
The new four-bedroom house will be finished with the second
floor clad with either lead or zinc. Planning officers have
recommended that the plans get the go-ahead, arguing that the
existing house, dating from the 1940s, “is not identified
as making a positive contribution to the conservation area”.
And another neighbour, who did not want to be named, added:
“You can either build a neo-Georgian building or a modern
house. Times have to move on. It is a good piece of architecture
and we are all for it.”
But Martin Humphery from the Hampstead conservation area advisory
committee (Caac) called the new design “unsympathetic”
to the area.
He said: “We have no objection to the demolition. However
we consider this proposal to be obtrusive and unsympathetic
in its choice of materials.”
Architect Richard Webb revealed he asked the advice of Lady
Patricia Hopkins, as patron of the Heath and Hampstead Society,
who, with her husband Michael, designed a glass-fronted home
in nearby Downshire Hill and had been influenced by Erno Goldfinger’s
home in Willow Road, around the corner from Keats Grove.
He said: “Hampstead is an easier place to build new homes
than elsewhere as it is already a mixture of different styles
from different eras. The current house is of a low standard.”
The proposal is due to be heard by planning chiefs at the Town
Hall today (Thursday). |
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