Miliband’s wife and Benedict Cumberbatch object to Camden flat development
Dame Justine Thornton, a High Court judge and the wife of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, was among a number of residents to object to the plans.
The wife of a senior Cabinet minister has objected to a proposed redevelopment near their north London home amid a Government push to sweep aside “blockers” in the planning system.
Dame Justine Thornton, a High Court judge and the wife of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, said plans to replace a 1930s villa in Camden with six flats were “too tall, too bulky and too dense for its plot”.
But she insisted she had “no objection to the principle of redevelopment into flats” given the need for more housing.
She also praised the nearby Highgate Newtown development, which includes 41 new homes, as an example to follow, saying it showed “thoughtful design in harmony with neighbouring properties”.
A source close to Dame Justine said she had “made clear she had no objection to the principle of new housing on the site. She was referring to a specific design.”
Dame Justine is one of several residents of the Dartmouth Park area to object to the plans, along with actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife, opera director Sophie Hunter.
Mr Cumberbatch and Ms Hunter said the proposal was “out of keeping with the architectural style of the area” and also criticised its size.
Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly pledged to back “builders not blockers” amid Britain’s housing crisis, with the Government reforming the planning system in an effort to build 1.5 million new homes by the next election.
Downing Street stressed the Government’s willingness to “rip up” planning rules to get more homes built, but would not be drawn on individual objections.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I’m not going to get drawn into individual personal views, let alone somebody who is not in the Government.”
But the spokesman added the Government was clear on its plans for 1.5 million homes by the next election and taking decisions on major infrastructure projects.
“We are willing to rip up the planning rulebook and pass the radical Planning and Infrastructure Bill to get spades in the ground and get the homes and infrastructure this country needs built,” he said.
