Mayor Boris Johnson vows to not overturn rejection of Swiss Cottage tower

The decision to reject the construction of a hugely unpopular residential tower in the heart of Swiss Cottage will not be reversed by the Mayor’s Office, Boris Johnson has said.

Fears the Mayor of London could use powers to overturn the decision to reject plans to demolish 100 Avenue Road and replace it with a 24-storey tower were allayed in a letter from Boris Johnson to Camden Council written yesterday.

The Mayor wrote: “Having now considered a report on this case I am content to allow Camden Council to determine the case itself, subject to any action that the Secretary of State may take, and do not therefore wish to take over the application for my own determination.”

It could prove a significant victory for the thousands of residents who have campaigned against the project.

Anger over the proposed £100million tower – branded “monstrous” and “grotesque” by a former director at English Heritage – left Camden Council’s planning department facing an enormous backlash.

The plan would see the current building at 100 Avenue Road knocked down by developer Essential Living and replaced by a 266 foot tower providing 184 flats, 36 of them “affordable”, along with retail and a community space.

Essential Living says it is still “considering its options”. This could include appealing against the council’s decision or submitting a revised application.

For more on this story, see next week’s paper (out Thursday, October 9).