Carob Tree’s homes creation leaves nasty taste in the mouth
Published: 05 August, 2010
by DAN CARRIER
IT was once a pub with an unsavoury reputation: now its new owners have made it into such a successful family restaurant that it’s advisable to book a week in advance if you want a prime dining spot on a weekend night.
But while the food cooked in the kitchens of the Carob Tree eaterie in Swain’s Lane, Highgate, has been a smash hit, the owners have risked their popularity with regulars after they applied for permission to create five new flats above the dining room.
The Town Hall’s planning committee is due to consider the application tonight (Thursday), and councillors will hear a raft of conservation groups say the scheme, which would add an extra floor to the 1950s brick-built pub on the corner of Highgate Road and Swain’s Lane, is too big, will ruin views and will present a damaging precedent for the rest of the street.
Five years ago, Lord Listowel, who owns the single-storey row of shops opposite the Carob Tree, faced a huge battle over his plans to increase their height – and eventually backed down from his redevelopment scheme. Conservation groups fear the designs, which planning officers have recommended be given the green light, could encourage others in the area to try and increase the bulk of their buildings. Dartmouth Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee chairman Patrick Lefevre called on the planning committee to kick the plans into touch.
He said: “This is just about the most sensitive location you could find. The corner of Highgate Road and Swain’s Lane is a gateway to three Conservation Areas and is opposite the Heath.”
His views have been echoed by the Holly Lodge CAAC, the Swain’s Lane Residents’ Association, the Grove Terrace Association, the Highgate Society and Simon Lee, the superintendent of Hampstead Heath.
Carob Tree owner Louis Loizou said he and his business partner had brought positive changes to Swain’s Lane since they opened the Greek-style taverna.
He said: “The pub that was here before was known for punch-ups. We have opened a restaurant and brought a lot of people into the area who would not have come here.
“The building looks amazing now. They will be lovely flats.”
And he claimed fears over its height were unfounded. He said: “We have had daylight and sunlight reports and we have had professional surveyors working for us. It will not affect views as it is at the bottom of the hill.”
Mr Loizou said he had expected objections and was surprised that there were not more than 50.