How the tower would look, behind the Archway Tavern

DESIGNS for a new skyscraper have been likened to putting Centre Point in Archway.

The idea for 36-storey tower was shown off at a consultation event earlier this month as developers press ahead with plans to overhaul the former University of London site at the bottom of Highgate Hill.

SevenCapital is making no attempt to disguise the scale and during its open session with residents and nearby businesses it said was looking to create a “landmark” building.

It showed pictures of Centre Point in the West End and “pencil” New York skyscrapers at the event at the Archway Methodist Church in  Navigator Square.

The developers, who bought the site in 2021, were presenting their ideas ahead of submitting a planning application.

They are proposing 250 new homes, 125 of which are affordable housing located in three new buildings. The rest are set to be in the old Archway Campus building.

The tower would be used for student accommodation.

Visitors to the event had mixed views, with the sharpest opinions saved for the height.

“I think the tower is horrendous,” said Peter Murray, who lives in Giesbach Road. “My main concern is the environmental impact really, and that hasn’t been modelled yet.

“The existing tower has given us a lifetime of problems in terms of wind and shading, and it’s cold all the time. And now you’re going have another huge tower.”

Adrian Betham, a local architect and member of the Better Archway Forum, said: “Towers are not typical of the area but they’re very prominent in this presentation.

New buildings plan for the campus site

“They talked about landmark buildings and gateways into Archway – well the gateway into Archway is the arch on Archway Road. Landmark buildings are not an inverted matchbox at the bottom of a hill. It’s things like Holy Joe’s [St Joseph’s Church] or St John’s Church.”

The cost of the affordable housing was also a pressing issue for locals.

“Ideally, it should all be affordable. Basically, you’re saying 50 per cent is unaffordable – that’s another interesting way of putting it,” said Mr Murray.

“I’ve lived in this area for 40 years. I would love to see that site renovated, but I am a bit shocked by the size of the 36-storey tower,” said Tom McDonnell, who lives in Cardinals Way.

“Then there’s the issue of ‘affordable’ housing. What is affordable? I almost think the word should be banned, say what it really means.”

The amount of housing proposed also sparked debate.

“I think it could be fabulous, but my hesitation is that there’s too many [houses],” said Fiona Walker, who lives on the corner of Lidyard and Despard roads.

“They seem to need to house so many people, hundreds and hundreds.”

Others felt that the developer’s need for profit would come first.

“It’s loads more housing into this area than ever before, which is fine. We need housing in London. But, there’s got to be a limit and there’s got to be some kind of control on how much profit anyone can make,” said Mr Murray.

During the consultation, Seven­Capital renewed a commitment to making 50 per cent of the housing affordable, but also acknowledged that they had to make a profit from it.

Mr Betham said: “Peabody bought the site for £23million and then sold it on to these people for £38million. Well, you should pay the money that works for what you want to put on it, not come back and say ‘oh, we paid too much for the site’.

“It’s a great shame if they did pay too much for the site, but that’s not our problem,”

SevenCapital said that another consultation with residents will be held before they submit their planning application.