Freeholder Andrew Craige Curtis to use two-storey planning give-away at a north London cladding site while leaseholders ruined with remediation bills

UPDATE 7 October 2021: Freeholder is appealing London Borough of Barnet refusing this permitted development

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Freehold owner Andrew Craige Curtis is to use the government’s new permitted development rules to put new storeys on blighted blocks of flats in Golders Green, north London.

If the applications go ahead they will add an extra storey to Orchid Court, Sunflower Court and Daffodil Court, making a total of eight new one-bed flats and two two-bed flats.

Yet only in June / July did the site obtain an EWS1 survey which resulted in an A3 rating, owing to wooden cladding on the balconies. The survey recommends that this material put up 10 years ago when the site was built is replaced

The applications by Andrew Craige Curtis, through his freehold owing company Tiger Granville Road Limited, are now with Barnet Borough Council – the first it has received resulting from Communties Secretary Robert Jenrick’s permitted development reforms, which were fiercely debated in the Commons on Wednesday. It will make a decision on October 5.

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The applications are:

ORCHID – 20/3568/PNV

SUNFLOWER – 20/3680/PNV

DAFFODIL – 20/3686/PNV

Leaseholders who contacted LKP said: “We are very angry that the new permitted development rights appear to have been established with no regard to existing residents, and no consultation with local planning departments.”

Mike Freer, the Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green, is backing the leaseholders in opposing the move. He told them that as a Government whip he could not sign the EDM opposing the move, originally moved by Sir Peter Bottomley and later adopted by Sir Kier Starmer.

He told them: “I oppose the new permitted development right providing the right to build two additional storeys to dwelling houses of at least two storeys. The requirement to have a local plan where residents can agree what, and where, things can be built is therefore welcome.

“I agree with your assessment that, if approved, these proposals would harm residents living in and around Granville Road.”

Some of the affected flats are shared ownership, with Notting Hill Genesis housing association having the headlease. It has also written to Barnet council opposing the development.

A leaseholder said: “They [the developer] did not even extend the courtesy of sending a note to inform us that this application has been made, let alone engage with the leaseholders about their intent. Therefore I don’t think they can be surprised that in electing not to engage with us they have incentivised us to object, and to reach out to other parties to try and help us.

“I’m very hopeful that this won’t be approved, or that if if is approved it will prove cost prohibitive for them to carry out the works. It might be that they’re only submitting this application to raise the value of the freehold, and not to ever carry out the work.”

Both the leaseholders and Notting Hill Genesis have raised a clause in the lease which may bar freeholder Andrew Craige Curtis from developing the buildings.

The site is also managed by associated company IDM Property Management LLP.