{"id":399014,"date":"2026-01-30T16:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/399014\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T16:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:05:10","slug":"bureau-de-changes-contentious-camden-flats-refused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/399014\/","title":{"rendered":"Bureau de Change\u2019s contentious Camden flats refused"},"content":{"rendered":"

Camden Council\u2019s planning committee rejected the five-storey, five-flat scheme at a meeting last night (29 January), heeding objections from local residents, including celebrities and architects.<\/p>\n

The north London borough\u2019s planning officers had recommended approval of the infill scheme on a brownfield site, which would have involved the demolition of an existing four-bedroom 1930s house to make way for the new block.<\/p>\n

However, councillors on Camden\u2019s committee voted against that recommendation in their decision, which had been scheduled for 15 January but was postponed due to technical fault.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Heather Johnson said: \u2018We\u2019ve been impressed by the huge number of concerns raised by our constituents [and] on this application the views of the community are close to unanimously against.\u2019<\/p>\n

She continued by calling into question the scheme\u2019s benefits, with it offering no affordable or social units out of the five homes. The same councillor also said the design of the proposed windows was \u2018more corporate\u2019 than residential and not in keeping with nearby Victorian properties.<\/p>\n

Bureau de Change finally submitted plans in spring 2025 for six apartments before amending those proposals last summer to remove the proposed basement apartment and introducing several minor changes to the design.<\/p>\n

BAFTA-winning actor Benedict Cumberbatch opposed the plans<\/a>, as did the founders of local practice van Heyningen and Haward Architects, and Justine Thornton, a High Court judge married to energy secretary Ed Miliband.<\/p>\n

Objectors said the scheme would be \u2018out of keeping with the architectural style of the area and disrupt the aesthetic of the street\u2019, while architects Joanna van Heyningen and Birkin Haward criticised its height, fa\u00e7ade design and proximity to other homes.<\/p>\n

However, Camden\u2019s planning officers described Bureau de Change\u2019s plans for developer HGG London as \u2018well designed\u2019, \u2018high-quality\u2019, and \u2018inventive, enjoyable, and potentially exciting\u2019 ahead of the meeting.<\/p>\n

They also noted that the proposal was \u2018more strongly related to the surrounding context\u2019 than designs first put to Camden\u2019s design review panel in 2023. As part of the scheme, an existing two-storey detached single dwellinghouse built in the late 1920s or early 1930s would be flattened.<\/p>\n

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Bureau de Change\u2019s plans for Dartmouth Park Road in north London (as amended August 2025) \u2013 front elevation and street context<\/p>\n

Last summer<\/a>, in a bid to allay concerns, Bureau de Change reworked its original proposal and introduced \u2018Victorian-inspired\u2019 balcony balustrades and a traditional brick boundary wall, which it says would \u2018reduce openings and better integrate [the scheme] with the streetscape\u2019.<\/p>\n

The practice pointed out that the building\u2019s height remains lower than the tallest of the neighbouring houses and says its proposed building would have a fa\u00e7ade which is \u2018aligned with the rhythm of the Victorian frontage\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018These revisions to the project strengthen the commitment to neighbour privacy and sustainability,\u2019 it added.<\/p>\n

Billy Mavropoulos, co-founder and director at Bureau de Change, said: \u2018We are disappointed by the planning committee\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our design for Lamorna was developed through extensive dialogue with Camden Council and the Design Review Panel to ensure it complements the local streetscape and meets planning policy. We believe the scheme provides real value to the borough and remain committed to the project.\u2019<\/p>\n

He told the AJ last year: \u2018Our approach to Lamorna has been rooted in a deep respect for the architectural language of Dartmouth Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Throughout this process we have worked collaboratively with Camden Council to add clarity and refinement to the scheme. The result reflects our dedication to designing homes that are sustainable and sensitive to their surroundings.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Camden Council\u2019s planning committee rejected the five-storey, five-flat scheme at a meeting last night (29 January), heeding objections…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,47325,60816,1120,96,149450,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-399014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-bureau-de-change","tag-camden","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-planning-dispute","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}