Developer Mount Anvil, on behalf of Camden Council, has submitted a planning application to redevelop the former Bacton Low Rise estate, off Wellesley Road.
The new proposals are the second phase of a regeneration project, the first of which was completed in 2017 with 67 homes.
Mount Anvil’s application doubles the number of homes from 247 to 447 from previous plans and is projected to turn a low-rise neighbourhood into towers up to 26 storeys high, according to documents on the planning portal.
Bacton Towers Action, a group of residents in Gospel Oak and Haverstock, has launched a petition against the plans which has more than 650 signatures.
The petition argues the buildings are too big, too tall, and too dense, are out of character with the neighbourhood, and will be too expensive for local people.
Robert Lewistein, chair of the Bacton Neighbours Action group, said: “It’s a complicated situation. People are pretty shocked to see the height of the building. It will have quite a devastating effect on key views.”
While the number of social homes could rise from 61 to 104, and intermediate homes remaining at 10, private flats were increasing from 176 to 333 – an increase of 157.
“That’s a hell of a lot more private homes,” he added.
Robert said there was a lot of development planned in the area, including the neighbouring Wendling estate, and he fears that other developments will be built to a similar height if this one gets the go-ahead.
“If this is built at this height, then all the other projects they are planning will go to this height, It’s just really sad for this estate.
“It’s one of the most deprived areas in Camden with an enormous cultural social mix and people with genuine problems.
“I know it will be difficult to change this but we feel we’ve got to react to it. That never happened with the first scheme.
“It was a thoughtful plan, sensitive to the area, the blocks were higher but not so much it would overwhelm the four-storey blocks people here live in.”
Camden Council said it was doing everything it could to tackle the housing crisis, “and developments like Bacton Estate are vital for expanding council housing”.
A spokesperson said the revised scheme proposed by Mount Anvil almost doubles the amount of social housing on the Bacton site “improving on previous plans from almost ten years ago”.
They added: “From improved public spaces to social value initiatives, this is a development that will enhance the local community, and we are committed to working with the Gospel Oak community to ensure this project benefits all.”
