The listed Oslo Court near Regent’s Park

A DEVELOPER’S penthouse plan for a Grade II-listed housing block in a conservation area, that had split residents and conservation groups, has been rejected by planning chiefs.

Airspace Advisory Ltd wanted to create a four-home roof extension to Oslo Court in Prince Albert Road, St John’s Wood, along with a package of benefits including resolving a host of outstanding fire safety measures and safeguarding the building for future generations.

The Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee, St John’s Wood Society, St Marylebone Society, had objected, and officers at Westminster City Council had warned the scheme would “harm” the special qualities of the listed building.

But it was backed by the chair of the planning committee, The 20th Century Society, Oslo Court’s leasehold association and 50 letters of support “from the community”, more than the number of objections from residents living in the block.

Objector Ashok Ghosh, who has lived in the block for 38 years, told a meeting on Tuesday: “This monstrosity on the roof doesn’t match the artistic design of the building. It’s a blot.

“What will happen if this is built is that you will have done what Hitler couldn’t achieve. Hitler couldn’t destroy this building in the Blitz. It’s been there unchanged since 1939. To build this monstrosity so that multibillionaires can make tens of millions of pounds so that absentee millionaires can buy four large penthouses is absolutely obsc-ene. There is no justification for this act of vandalism.”

But Milton Ward, representing the leaseholders, said his association supported the scheme warning that elderly people on pensions in the block could not afford heavy leaseholder bills if the scheme was not approved. He said: “We are anxious to make our building safe from a fire point of view.”

Oslo Court, facing Regent’s Park, near London Zoo, was designed by Robert Atkinson in the modern “International Style”. It has a restaurant on the ground floor.

The proposal’s architect Tom Gray said: “Oslo Court is 80 years old. It faces some big issues that go well beyond routine maintenance. The project creates four high-quality homes, modernises the building with safety up-grades to a building that is vulnerable to fire. It will reduce the carbon footprint. On top of this there are wider public benefits. It will improve living standards for 200 residents.

“But the biggest public benefit is renewing a public building for the next stage of its life.”

Cllr Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, chair of the committee, said “I like it… I think it looks great. There’s the extra flats.

“The [solar] panels. There’s the sustainable materials. There is a new separate entrance to the restaurant. There are considerable benefits.”

Cllr Shamsed Chowdhury said: “I understand what you are saying, chair. It looks nice. But there are reasons why it’s a listed building in the first place. After listening to this I am convinced.”

But Cllr Williams said: “I don’t like it. I think it’s a bad design. We have to refuse it.”

Cllr Butler-Thalassis conceded: “Well refusal it is, then, I guess.”