Abandoned, half-built, blots on the landscape are unacceptable

Published: 1 April, 2010

• I WONDER how many other readers have noticed the proliferation of half-built and part demolished buildings in their area? 
They are an unexpected and unwelcome sight but have become increasingly prevalent since the start of the recession. 
Take the large development at the start of Fitzjohn’s Avenue in Hampstead.
This is a huge project which includes underground car parking and absorbed two listed, red-brick houses on the west side of the road.
Having demolished one of the original houses, despite its Grade II listing, the part-completed site now has black plastic tarpaulins being fixed where the roof should be. 
The contractors confirmed to me that unless the financing bank agrees to advance the many millions of pounds needed to complete the buildings, they will sit in this half-built and ugly state for years.
Turn the corner at the end of Fitzjohn’s Avenue and you find an even more unsightly blight on our area.
A very smart builder’s board on Belsize Park promises two luxury homes to be made from the remains of the large stucco-fronted houses. 
These boards have been in place for over a year but work stopped many months ago. 
Again a listed building was demolished but this time it has been left as a pile of bricks and part-standing walls, with construction not even started. 
It is not acceptable for our skyline to be marked with abandoned building sites. 
DAVID BOUCHIER, NW3