O2 Centre development: MP Tulip Siddiq 'concerned' by plans
West Hampstead residents can have their say on plans for the O2 Centre site - Credit: Landsec
Hampstead and Kilburn MP has raised concerns over the major O2 Centre redevelopment project in Finchley Road – and has outlined steps the developer needs to take in order to gain her support.
An application is under consultation for the project, in which Landsec outlined its plans to build 1,800 homes, along with play spaces, a community centre and other amenities.
Tulip Siddiq MP said constituents have written to her with worries about building height, conservation areas, the impact on local services, lack of green space, and provision of an affordable supermarket and housing.
She writes in her response to the consultation: "I am very concerned that the current proposals do not have the full support of the community.
"In order to support this development I would need solid reassurances from Landsec that they are committed to providing: local station access improvements, including step free access at West Hampstead underground; adequate provision of affordable housing (at the moment it is 35%); adequate provision of green space that is accessible to the wider community; a new GP surgery; retention of the facilities that are currently in the O2 centre including a large, affordable supermarket; reassurances that concerns over building height will be addressed."
Landsec's project lead, Tim Trillo, said: “We know this is a really important project for Camden.
“Throughout our consultation we’ve tried to address a lot of the priorities people have raised. Our proposals provide 566 new affordable homes, a significant contribution to Camden’s housing targets, a 1,000 sqm multi-disciplinary health centre which has the potential to deliver even more than just local GP services, a new community centre, and a variety of shops and leisure spaces concentrated in a new town square for the area.
"We’ve also committed to providing space for the key facilities that local people have told us they value in the current O2 Centre – a cinema, gym and affordable supermarket.
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“Importantly, all of this will be knitted together by a series of large new green and public spaces – an area equivalent to the size of the current car park."
“Our approach to delivering taller buildings on the site is carefully considered, taking into account topography, distance to neighbours, sunlight paths and key townscape views. Including taller buildings is an important way for us to deliver all of these benefits and more."
