Georgian townhouse on Tottenham Street to be demolished despite concerns over loss of heritage

A Georgian townhouse off Tottenham Court Road can be knocked down to make way for an 11-storey block with four duplex homes because it has been rebuilt over the years.

The current four- storey block on Tottenham Street can be pulled down, Camden’s planning committee agreed.

It is the last remaining historic terraced building on the north side of Tottenham Street and was described as “something of an oddity” as it is surrounded by taller, more modern buildings and “very little of the building is historic”.

The plan has to be referred to the Mayor of London because it is over 30 metres high.

The block of four flats with a ground-floor office or shop space will be replaced with a narrow 11-storey building with stepped levels on the upper floors.

The late 18th-century building is surrounded by other blocks of Georgian homes in the Charlotte Street conservation area. It made a “positive contribution”, according to a planning report, which said the demolition “is regrettable in design and heritage terms”.

However, planning officers said it “has been substantially altered and is not a true representation of the original building”.

Council officer Laura Dorbeck pointed out that upvc windows have been fitted and the shop front is “a poor quality post-war rebuild”.

She said there would be “some minor harm” harm to the street scene if the building is demolished.

Demolition also has to be justified in sustainability terms.

The applicant looked at keeping the building but it would have needed alteration and a possible reduction in the number of flats.

The new homes are sustainable and exceed carbon reduction targets, Dorbeck said.

The Charlotte Street Conservation Area Advisory Committee said the building has “obvious links to the south side of the street, which is original”, and that preserving it as a heritage asset should be given “great weight”.

They said the demolition was not justified “given the quality and associated public benefit of the replacement building”.

The applicant Flower Island (UK) Ltd  said the height of the new building on the street front is “largely inconspicuous in light of a number of gradually recessed set-backs”.

Dorbeck said the design is “well balanced and proportioned”.

The planning committee agreed to the scheme unanimously.

Committee chair Heather Johnson said it was “an innovative” scheme for the narrow space in Tottenham Street.