'Monstrosity' office block near Victorian cemetery 'like putting tower block in front of Windsor Castle'

Harriet Tubman House, Kensal Green
-Credit:HUTCHINSON & PARTNERS


Plans to demolish a Victorian building in North London and replace it with a new four-storey office block have been met with fierce opposition from residents over claims the building holds 'historical and architectural value'. The applicant - social mobility charity Making The Leap - argue the building is 'dated and not fit-for-purpose' and want to build a new state-of-the-art training centre.

The applicant has sent its plans to Brent Council, looking to demolish the Harriet Tubman House building on Hazel Road in Kensal Green to make way for a new headquarters and training centre, made up of a training room and workspace, job search and IT rooms, a social hub, and roof terrace. The building is on top of the train lines serving Kensal Green Underground and Overground station.

Originally based in Harlesden, Making The Leap, which helps young people from less-advantaged socio-economic backgrounds by providing training, bought the building from Brent Council in 2002. Formerly a community centre, the charity renovated the site to enable it to deliver training programmes to young people.

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New Hazel Road building design CGI
The new training centre would be made up of a training room and workspace, job search and IT rooms, a social hub, and roof terrace -Credit:Hutchinson & Partners

However the charity says it is 'no longer able to accommodate the needs of the charity' by serving the approximately 8,000 young people it works with every year. In documents submitted with the application, the charity states: "Reuse and retrofit opportunities for the existing building are limited. The current spaces are too small for [our] current programme and the building cannot be extended due to weight restrictions on the Transport for London tunnels. The building turns its back on Hazel Road Green Space, and a lack of active frontage that is park-facing promotes antisocial behaviour."

It adds: "Further, the proposed development would allow participants to learn and practice skills learnt in a building similar in style to buildings of some employers they may be seeking."

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However, the plan has been met with opposition by the Kensal Green Residents Association (KGRA), who have raised significant concerns about the loss of a historical building, as well as the height of the proposed new building and the charity's ability to finance the project.

New Hazel Road building design CGI
The building design has been described by one resident as 'a monstrosity' -Credit:Hutchinson & Partners

KGRA said: "The proposed development would tower over the surrounding terraced streets dominating Hazel Road and our park, Hazel Road Open Space, and staff and clients of Making The Leap would be able to look down into neighbouring houses, and down into the children's play area in the park. [...] This is a case of over-development in an already highly developed area."

They added: "Making The Leap has allowed the current building's façade to fall into disrepair, claiming they lack the funds for maintenance. This raises questions about their ability to finance a large-scale office block. There is a genuine fear that, should Hazel Road Community Centre be demolished, that the site might be left undeveloped for years, becoming a blight on the community, or sold off to developers, as has happened in other parts of Brent."

Residents have also taken to local blog site Wembley Matters to express their concern. One suggested the new building may disappoint the 'thousands of tourists from all over the world' who come to visit Kensal Green Cemetery every year. They said: "As they leave the Tube station and walk through leafy and pleasant Hazel Road Open Space to approach the cemetery, the first thing they'll see will be that monstrosity."

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They added: "Kensal Green's agreeable Victorian ambience is part of the charm and character of the world-famous cemetery; it'll be like putting a tower block in front of Windsor Castle."

The application will be reviewed by Brent Council's Planning Committee at a future meeting where a decision on whether the redevelopment can go ahead will be made.

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