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The plan for Weedington Road |
Homes plan is ditched in row over 'rabbit hutches'
Planners tear up scheme for block amid fears of 'creating ghetto'
A CHEAP housing scheme meant for key workers has been spiked
after objections that the proposed flats were like “rabbit
hutches”.
Planning chiefs tore up plans to replace a taxi repair workshop
in Weedington Road, Gospel Oak, with a new block of inexpensive
flats at a council meeting on Thursday night.
They were warned that the area could be turned into a “public
sector ghetto” if the project was approved.
In a split vote that went against developers, dissenting councillors
said the proposed flats were far too small.
At just 25 square metres, the proposed studio flats were 78
per cent below recommended sizes. One-bedroom properties were
also below usual size specifications.
The final decision, however, went against advice from the Town
Hall’s own planning department, with officials recommending
the proposals for approval. Civil servants said the scheme would
provide the benefit of affordable homes.
Developer Pocket Living company director Marc Vlessing said
he would appeal against the decision, which he called a “gross
injustice”.
He added that the company’s market research showed a need
for small homes. There was a generation of people who could
not get on the housing ladder, as they were not eligible for
social housing but did not earn enough to buy a flat in Camden.
He added: “We are not a philanthropic concern, but we have
recognised a need and simply wish to fill it.”
Architects Burrell Foley Fischer said, despite the homes being
small in size, there was demand among key workers – including
nurses – for the new flats.
A spokesman for the company told the meeting: “The reality
of this site is that it has been a blight to the landscape.
These are starter homes. They don’t pretend to be anything
else.
“They (key workers) don’t want to live on large public
housing estates. That’s why we do smaller developments.
This one has a sense of intimacy.”
Objector Val Stevenson, a journalist who lives opposite the
site, warned that policies to revamp Gospel Oak would be undermined
by approval for low-quality homes.
She said: “Why with one hand does the council put money
into improving housing, and with the other or with your eyes
closed, you would be giving permission for sub-standard housing.
“It is about whether Camden values its key workers or it
doesn’t. If it values them, don’t shove them into
rabbit hutches. I’d like to see how standards are going.”
Ms Stevenson said the project would set a precedent whereby
any designs would get planning approval if they created cheap
homes for key workers.
She added: “The feedback is that key workers do not want
to live in public service ghettos.”
Another protester, architect Tom Young, who spent his spare
time coming up with an alternative scheme for the site, said
the proposals should be ditched in favour of a smaller development
including shops.
While Liberal Democrat councillor Margaret Little said that
some workers searching for homes might want the chance to buy
the flats, her colleagues turned against the scheme.
Flick Rea, another Lib Dem councillor, told the meeting: “I
don’t see why a key worker, a nurse, should be forced to
live in a tiny space with barely no window.”
Labour councillor Jane Roberts also raised concerns about the
size of the rooms and was among those who voted against the
project. |
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