A veteran film director who brought Clash Of The Titans to the big screen has become embroiled in a battle of his own with developers he claims are making residents’ lives a misery.
Desmond Davis, 90, pinned a hand-written sign to the railings next to the construction site near his Kentish Town home advising his neighbours that there was little point complaining about the noise.
Frustrated that it was stopping him from writing his memoirs, he wrote: “Don’t bother to phone the project manager, it’s permanently engaged ie off the hook! So much for the so-called considerate constructors scheme... all bullshit no content!”
The site, an old railways social club next to Mr Davis’s Victorian cottage, is being converted into homes with an underground car park by building firm Four Quarters.
Mr Davis, whose 1981 stop-motion blockbuster starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Maggie Smith, Harry Hamlin and Judi Bowker made more than $40 million at the box office, told the Standard that the situation had now improved following his poster protest.
The old social club has been at the centre of a planning dispute between developers and residents of College Lane dating back 15 years.
Campaigners including actor Tom Conti opposed the development, saying the lane was too narrow for lorries to carry away rubble.
Residents of College Lane say they have sent an “avalanche” of complaints to Four Quarters about noise, vibrations and cracks appearing in their interior walls since demolition began last year.
Cordelia Brown, 41, who took a photo of Mr Davis’s sign before it was removed, said: “When you are here in the day, the noise is constant and if you work at home it is very disruptive.”
Read More
Four Quarters says it is building “30 contemporary homes and apartments”, some of which are set to cost more than £2 million.
It states on its website that as part of its “good neighbour commitment” it would keep residents posted “on what we are doing and when”.
George Dhillon, site manager, said that his telephone had constantly been engaged because of a fault that had since been rectified.
He added: “The site is being constantly monitored for sound, dust and vibration, and is adhering to Camden’s minimum requirements. Reports are sent weekly to council officers.
“Residents are always kept informed via various mediums and we always endeavour to respond to any concerns within a reasonable time frame.”
