Residents of Gospel Oak gathered outside Camden Town Hall yesterday evening in protest against the proposed redevelopment of Bacton Low Rise.
The current project will see the new Bacton Towers become one of the largest residential buildings ever constructed in the Camden area, almost twice as high and dense as originally planned.
The campaign group, Bacton Tower Action (BTA), argue this will have a significant impact on the community, putting pressure on resources in an already deprived area, diminishing green spaces and obscuring famous views of the city.
One of the group’s organisers Alice Brown said: “Councillors have refused to meet with us to discuss the implications of their plans for Gospel Oak, and we want to demonstrate our dismay at their actions.”
Despite some assurances from Camden Council and the developers, Mount Anvil, that the group’s concerns would be listened to, members feel that the issues they’ve raised are falling on deaf ears.
Another member of BTA, Robert Lewenstein, expressed a similar sentiment when the council was expected to attend a meeting back in February, but opted not to attend despite the group assuming they’d accepted the invitation.
He said: “People are losing faith and trust in the council, that’s what’s happening here.
“And the council’s failure to turn up to meetings isn’t helping their cause.”
Camden Council initially proposed building 247 low-rise homes, but a new development plan touted late last year by Mount Anvil revealed that 200 additional flats would be added to the original plan, contributing to three tall blocks of up to 26 stories.
Additionally, of the 447 proposed residences, only 104 units, or 23%, will be council homes.
Tom Young, a resident in the adjacent buildings, believes that there has been a lack of transparency in the release of the plans.
He said: “There ought to be a clear statement which they keep to about the number of council homes they build in the area, and how they’re going to build them in the area.
“They’re unfolding secret plans one application at a time in a way to maximise the opportunity to steamroll us.”
Lewenstein added: “Nobody has objections to the first iteration of the development plan.
“We’re probably being looked at as nuisance residents who just don’t want building in their back yard, but we were going to accept the first plan quite happily, and understand the need for more housing.
“The new plan is just so over the top.”
One of the major concerns is the impact the towers will have on natural light in the area.
BTA projections suggest the towers would also cast large shadows over residents of neighbouring blocks at certain hours of the day.
Among the buildings expected to be affected is St. Martin’s Church on Vicars Road, a Grade I listed church built in the 1860s.
In the Gospel Oak and Haverstock Community Vision, Camden Council highlights St. Martin’s Church as ‘one of many heritage assets of national significance in the area that contribute towards its unique character’.
Lewenstein said: “They’re just walking over everything written in that vision plan.
“The vicar is concerned about the development and has come along to a few of our meetings.
“There are issues already with the construction of the church, and it’s going to be very vulnerable to the effects of the development.”
Councillors Sagal Abdi-Wali and Nasrine Djemai, for Better Homes and New Homes and Community Investment respectively, published a letter in Camden News Journal defending Mount Anvil’s proposed development in June.
Their rebuttal, titled ‘Why we need to build upwards’, stresses the need to deal with the emergent housing crisis in the area, as 8,000 people remain on the council’s waiting list for homes.
Abdi-Wali and Djemai wrote: “Space is at a premium and building upwards helps us deliver the council and affordable homes we badly need.
“We’ve been working hard to ensure the Bacton development not only delivers much-needed homes but the highest quality housing tailored to Camden’s needs.”
They also emphasised that Mount Anvil’s current proposal is just that, and not a plan ready to be submitted.
BTA disputed these assertions in a signed letter of their own to CNJ, making clear that they remain unhappy with the height and density of the proposal, and citing the limited increase in social housing as an area of particular concern.
They wrote: “The 104 social homes will barely replace those that were demolished eight years ago.
“The largely private scheme will gentrify and divide our neighbourhood.
“We want housing that celebrates the soul of our vibrant community for generations to come.”
Repeated attempts have been made to raise awareness for the campaign in the first half of the year.
BTA set up a stall on Queen’s Crescent market every Saturday throughout May, giving out badges and hearing residents’ concerns about the development.
They also sold homemade cakes at Alma Street Fair in June to raise money for formal planning advice.
A group spokesperson Julia Oertli, who works as a facilitator in the charity sector, helped set up and promote the stalls.
Oertli hails from Switzerland, but has lived in Gospel Oak for 15 years, and thrives on the connections she’s developed with people in the area.
She said: “For somebody who doesn’t have family in this country, it’s really given me a sense of community and belonging.
“And that’s really my main concern, times are really hard with the cost of living crisis, food banks all over the neighborhood, people are really struggling and we need each other.”
Oertli echoed worries that the council’s new proposal does not go far enough in serving the people who need the housing most.
She said: “We are not against building more housing, we think it’s absolutely vital.
“A lot of people who are in council housing now are crammed in one-bedroom flats, including families, and they’re often parents in full-time work who can’t afford to live elsewhere.
“So this is really what this campaign is about: we want great quality council housing.”
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are doing everything we can to tackle the housing crisis and, despite the current economic challenges, we remain committed to building desperately-needed affordable homes for our residents.
“The Bacton Estate development is a key part of this effort, aiming to provide over 100 new social rent homes, 10 intermediate affordable homes, and high-quality, energy-efficient housing.
“We place great value on our ongoing engagement with the community in Gospel Oak as we work with Mount Anvil to develop these plans.
“Listening to local residents is essential to the ongoing design process and Mount Anvil will be hosting further public consultation events ahead of their planning application being submitted.
“We continue to welcome feedback from the local community, and remain committed to meaningful engagement as the proposals progress-including through Mount Anvil’s public consultation events.
“The new development will be assessed against local planning policies to ensure that proposals are compliant and appropriate for the local area. Elements such as height and daylight impact on existing properties will be assessed as part of this process.”
Mount Anvil have been approached for comment.
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