‘Tear down eco-friendly beach house’, council tells artists

Disputed: experimental rooftop beach house. Photograph: Hoxton Docks

A rooftop ‘beach house’ must be removed because it spoils the derelict Haggerston Baths nearby, Hackney Council has ruled.

Artists built an experimental pavilion on the roof of their Hoxton Docks studio on Laburnum Street using sheets made from recycled drinks cartons.

However the landlord failed to ask the council in advance for planning permission.

Ravi Patel, who manages the Hoxton Docks site on behalf of the landlord, said: “We didn’t think we needed permission because it is a temporary structure that will only last for two years.

“The council has been systematically destroying our local heritage. I think it would prefer to level our whole site and turn it into a square box.”

Hoxton Docks later asked the council for permission but it was refused, partly due to what is described as the structure’s “unacceptable impact” on the nearby Grade-II listed bathhouse, despite it having remained empty since 2002.

The council owns the Haggerston Baths site and says it is currently considering bids from a number of developers.

Hoxton Docks is now appealing an enforcement notice issued by the council demanding the removal of the beach house.

Commenting on the rooftop experiment, Mr Patel said: “We are primarily a restoration company. We wanted to use the beach house to test this recycled material and do something interesting for the local community.

“The plan is to eventually take the product to market and talk to governments and charities about using it at refugee camps and disaster-relief sites.

“The council should be supporting this kind of work.”

Hoxton Docks has commissioned a second structure to be assembled on the roof despite the ongoing dispute, but said it will check with the council prior to erecting it.

A council spokesperson, commenting on the ‘beach house’, said: “A planning application was submitted to erect a ‘single storey structure at roof level for a temporary period of two years in order to provide 1×2 bedroom unit of self-contained residential accommodation.’

“This planning application was refused on 30 November 2015. Further to the refusal, an enforcement notice was served on 17 February 2016 to seek the removal of the structure.

“The notice was appealed against and the matter is now being considered by the Planning Inspectorate.”