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How the attraction by the canal could look
HIS art has come to symbolise London – and Camden Town in particular.
But illustrator David Gentleman – whose work has included murals at tube stations and Royal Mail stamps – is less than impressed with a new vision for his home neighbourhood.
He has lent his voice to a growing campaign against plans to install a 40-metre high Ferris wheel in the heart of Camden Lock.
Designs currently being considered by Town Hall planners are for a wide-ranging overhaul of one of the capital’s most iconic locations.
The Dead Dog’s Basin and a storage area will be revamped to create a new events space on the ground floor of the Grade-II listed Interchange Building.
But the inclusion of the wheel attraction has sparked a postbag of objections from civic groups and neighbours, with scores of letters calling for the proposal to be turned down for planning permission.
Mr Gentleman said: “I have lived near Camden Lock since 1956. From the beginning of my time here I have drawn and painted the historic scenes just down the road from where I live in Gloucester Crescent.
“My pictures have been reproduced in my books and exhibited in many galleries. Part of the success of the Lock has been its visual effect and to install a large Ferris wheel in front of the most beautiful old factory is an appalling idea.”
Critics of the wheel idea have set up a protest Facebook group and some have posters in their windows at home, urging people to register their own objections.
Camden has also received messages of support for the scheme, including notes from some traders in the market.
Site owners Lab Tech hope the wheel will bring in new visitors, and entice people living near by to use the markets more often.
David Gentleman lives close to Camden Lock
But Mr Gentleman questions whether the business model of ever-rising numbers of visitors is what the area needs.
He said: “The footfall is at its capacity now and to encourage more visitors interested in fairground and theme park activity is really bad planning.”
Under the plans, the wheel would be given a five-year berth on a section currently used by a canal water bus and food stalls.
David Gentleman’s books include London, You’re Beautiful
Inside Dead Dog’s basin, a new jetty with openings into a space known as the East Vaults will create a performance and arts venue. The project comes after a previous application in 2015 was passed.
This would have seen wholesale changes to the West and East yard areas, including redeveloping a 1980s built faux-Victorian warehouse. Lab Tech now have a new application in which will need a fresh consent.
It says its latest plan will see historic features restored. In a heritage report, listed buildings experts Turley Associates said the wheel scheme was “temporary, reversible, and short-term.”
It noted the plans would create interest, adding: “Judgements regarding the aesthetic and visual merits of the observation wheel, and relationship to the character and function of Camden Market are likely to be polarising, any may evoke strong reactions in favour and against.”
But it added any impact was negligible and would leave no mark after its time on site.
Simon Pitkeathley from Camden Town Unlimited welcomes the wheel proposal
Camden Town Unlimited, the business interest group funded by a levy on local businesses, are welcoming the plans.
Its chief executive Simon Pitkeathley said: “Camden Town is synonymous with its markets. When they thrive, so does Camden Town. We know that the last two years have been an unprecedentedly difficult time for everyone, but especially the retail and leisure businesses which form the beating heart of Camden Town.”
Mr Pitkeathley, who separately has masterminded plans for the Camden High Line, a new park along a disused railway line from Camden Town to King’s Cross, added such attractions could be vital to keeping high streets viable as shopping habits change.
He said: “It’s also worth noting the turmoil occurred against the backdrop of the decades old and accelerating High Street crisis. The only way to find their future is to allow for practical experimentation.”
No date has yet been fixed for the council’s planning committee to rule on the proposals.
Lab Tech have already tried to bring new visitors into Camden Town with an underground theme park called Babylon Park on the redeveloped Hawley Wharf site.
The Tomb Raider Live experience, meanwhile, moved into the Stables Market – an immersive game in which players try to solve puzzles and take turns on an indoor zipline.
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