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An architect has been ordered to tear down his award-winning, $6 million family home in London after falling foul of the local government’s planning guidelines.
15 Clerkenwell Close won the Royal Institute of British Architects’ National Award in 2018. The RIBA panel described the building as a “truly bespoke, hand-crafted work of art,” adding that it is an “architectural triumph that dwells at the simple address.”
But the council in Islington claims that the building, designed by Amin Taha, does not align with his original plans for the house in 2012. The six-story property includes his family’s home and the offices for his practice, Groupwork + Amin Taha, according to the Evening Standard. Taha, 47, said he intends to appeal the council’s decision.
The dispute began over the council’s claims that the building was meant to be made from brick rather than stone, and that the structure was too high, the Evening Standard reported.
“After an investigation, the council has come to the view that the building at 15 Clerkenwell Close does not reflect the building that was granted planning permission and conservation area consent in 2013,” the Islington council said in a statement. “In the council’s view, the existing building does not benefit from planning permission, and the council issued an enforcement notice on 26 February 2018, to take effect on 9 April 2018. The owners of the site appealed that enforcement notice on 6 April 2018, and the case will now be handled by the planning inspectorate.”
But a document sent to ABC News by Jeremy Stein of Drawing and Planning Ltd. shows an approval of Taha’s request for planning permission. The document indicates that the council had in fact signed off on the application’s request in 2015 before issuing another enforcement notice early this year.
Section 2A of the approval “with no conditions” accepts that “the stonework, imported from northern France, will provide the structure of the external frame. The brickwork will be… set back behind the stone frame.”
Meanwhile, Taha has vowed to continue the fight to save his home.
The architect told ABC News that he was “humbled that the building has garnered so much support, not just from our neighbors but from architects and supporters around the world.”
“All of the issues the council has raised are resolvable,” Taha said, “so resorting to demolition would be extreme and costly to Islington taxpayers. I’m really keen to work with the council to find a better solution.”