‘This is not Disney World nor Camelot’
CONTROVERSIAL TURRET PLAN GETS GO-AHEAD
PARENTS have won a battle to put a turret on their West London home after neighbours complained it looked like something at ‘Disney World.’
A couple from Kensington have won a four-year battle to build an extension on their daughter’s bedroom so she has more room to study.
Rita and Gagik Apkarian want to build a turret on the north-east corner of their house opposite Kensington Town Hall, according to planning documents.
But plans sparked outrage among neighbours, who said the feature was more suited to Disney World and not in keeping with the area.
Kensington and Chelsea Council received five letters from locals objecting to the plans, including residents’ group the Kensington Society.
A spokesperson for the society wrote: “This is in the heart of Kensington and surrounded by Listed II and II* [buildings].
“This is not Disney World nor Camelot.”
The letter also said the turret is a “look at me feature” that will “further distract from the cottagey original appearance” of the property. It adds: “The room it is appended onto is a bedroom of a large size. The turret appears to be filled with a desk. It is home working space? If so it is poorly design for such working. The turret is unnecessary.” One angry local wrote: “One can only gasp at this latest proposed alteration... The tower will therefore clearly jar with the new building and it certainly does not improve the quality of the building... It is an afterthought and seems driven rather by a desire to create yet more space.”
The couple have been working on the project with the council since 2018, according to a report on their behalf by Savills real estate company. Rita Apkarian said the family want to build the turret to make space for her daughter to study, speaking at a council meeting on Tuesday, July 5.
She added: “This turret fit for my daughter’s room will create just enough space for a desk and provide a home for longevity by adding two square metres. We are not asking for anything that will affect anyone’s quality of life or hurt those around us yet these changes make monumental differences.”
Despite some local anger, 28 residents wrote letters in support of the turret being built. One said: “The proposal is brilliant.
“A turret in that location would be a major improvement.
“Without a proper termination in that corner, the house would look incomplete and dreadful.
Another wrote: “The addition of a turret adds an interesting character to the house while being situated away from the street so only being tangentially visible. The house has great potential and a turret will add a missing item to the design.”
Kensington and Chelsea Council’s planning committee approved the plans on Tuesday July 5 by three votes to one.
The addition of a turret adds an interesting character to the house while being situated away from the street so only being tangentially visible. Letter of support