Markets are currently held beneath plane trees in the pedestrianised stretch of Eton Avenue between Hampstead Theatre and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama near Swiss Cottage station.
But after developer Regal London submitted plans to restart work on a stalled high-rise development off Avenue Road, opponents fear the space will be lost – first to construction traffic and then as it becomes a service road for the new tower. Regal denies this.
Tony Kay, who has lived in the area for 50 years, said: “The whole thing is likely to be a nightmare, it’s going to completely muck up the pedestrian area. When the schools close at 4pm it’s gridlock round here.
“The real problem with the pedestrian area is not during the building works, it’s later on. They will want to have all the services coming out the back, which is just a nonsense.”
Mr Kay says the new plans are not hugely different from the previous ones – Regal wants to keep the height at 24 storeys but plans to increase the number of homes from 184 to 237, with 35% to be ‘affordable’.
He pointed to problems during previous work when the site was owned by Essential Living. Mr Kay claimed that despite objections, Essential Living wished to route traffic through Winchester Road and Eton Avenue but vehicles were found to be too big.
They were instead sent via Finchley Road, but still had difficulties entering the site, and construction halted soon afterwards.
Elaine Chambers, of the Winchester Road Residents’ Association, pointed to Regal’s global clientele and offices in Dubai, adding: “The public here is not so stupid as to believe this build will offer any housing for British people.
“It will do nothing to alleviate our housing crisis, and it will blight the area as an architectural eyesore.”
A Regal spokesperson said: “Access arrangements remain the same as in the consented scheme. Construction access is from Avenue Road, residential servicing is predominately via the basement and some requirements such as waste collection are via Eton Avenue, all as agreed previously.”
They added: “London is an international city, and it is inevitable that this is reflected in its housing market with a mixture of locals and overseas buyers too.
“The vast majority of overseas buyers purchase for use by family members or to rent the property out. This effectively puts the homes ‘back into circulation’ in the private rental sector, the largest share of which will be rented to locals.”
