Past Campaigns - The Water House

Between 2011 and 2017, local community groups united as the Friends of Millfield Lane over a protracted period to oppose a planning application in respect of the Water House.  This property faces Millfield Lane, directly opposite the main entrance to Kenwood Ladies’ Pond.  The owner of the property at the time wanted to demolish the existing house in order to replace it with a much larger property to incorporate a double basement. 

Work was projected to take at least two years, with the only vehicle access being available via the unmade section of Millfield Lane (nearly 900 HGV movements proposed on a lane too narrow for this purpose).  There was a complete lack of consideration for the impact on the walkers, runners, cyclists and dogs using Millfield Lane daily, let alone less able users.  Amongst other evidence used in objection to the planning application, video footage was obtained of an attempt to bring an HGV along the lane and turn it for the return journey.

Key points raised in objection to the planning application included:

• doubling the size, bulk and presence of the existing house from 5,500 ft2 to 11,000 ft2;
• an increase in footprint of a factor of 2.3 from 14.7% to circa 34% of the site;
• an incomplete Basement Impact Assessment;
• two basements across the entire width of the site that would cause serious hydrology impacts and possible contamination of the Bird Sanctuary Pond;
• demolition of a house of architectural significance, designed by the late Richard Paxton, that commanded a six-figure sum on the rental market at the time of the application;
• excessive impacts on ecology and trees, including the removal of low branches from an unquantified number of trees along Millfield Lane (to allow access for HGVs) permanently changing the character of lane;
• proposals to use Millfield Lane for many hundreds of HGV and LGV movements that would put the personal safety of pedestrians, cyclists and joggers at considerable risk and cause untold environmental harm.

In October 2015, the Friends of Millfield Lane launched an online petition via 38 Degrees to object to the planning application.  This eventually achieved over 4,000 signatures which were considered as individual objections to the planning application.  On 7 April 2016 Camden Council rejected the planning application but, just within deadline, the owner submitted an appeal to the national Planning Inspectorate.  In 2017, as the appeal was in progress, the Water House was sold and the appeal withdrawn. THE COMMUNITY WON!

The new owners of the Water House have undertaken work at this property of a more modest and sympathetic nature, taking pains to avoid the use of HGVs in Millfield Lane.  Much of the work is aimed at improving disability related access and the original house has not been demolished.  While this ongoing construction project has not been without issues, the new owners have adopted a much more proactive and productive approach to consulting with community groups than the previous owner.

This case demonstrates that community action works.  We are emphatically not NIMBYs, we simply seek to protect this area from overdevelopment.  It is possible for appropriate and sympathetic renovations and developments to take place so long as the sensitivity of the surrounding environment is respected.