English Heritage has written to the owner of Lubetkin’s threatened Finsbury Health Centre demanding a meeting to discuss its worsening state of repair.
The body’s planning and regional development director for London, Paddy Pugh, wrote last Tuesday to NHS Islington chief executive Rachel Tyndall expressing concern over the state of the grade I listed building in north London. BD understands Pugh makes reference to “reputational” issues both for EH and NHS Islington.
One source said: “He’s concerned that it’s not doing NHS Islington, as the building owner, any good to be in a poor state, and it’s not doing English Heritage any good if they’re being seen to condone it.” The last major maintenance project at the 1938 building was carried out 16 years ago.
The architect in charge of that work, Avanti Architects director John Allan, said new repair work needed to be carried out urgently. “There is certain immediate work that needs to be done,” he said. “If you walk by [the building] it does not look as if it’s being responsibly maintained. It’s a building of international significance and English Heritage is right to be concerned.”
Pugh said: “We believe the building can be refurbished and we’re here to help.” But asked whether NHS Islington had been listening to its concerns, he replied: “Not so far they haven’t, I can’t deny that. We have been making these points again and again.” However, an NHS Islington spokeswoman said it was “responding” to EH’s offer.
News of the heritage group’s intervention emerged at an Islington Council meeting on the future on the centre last week. The health and wellbeing committee had been expected to refer a final decision on the fate of the building to health secretary Andy Burnham.
But chairman Martin Klute said it would first send the 10 NHS Islington board members copies of its report — which includes the key recommendation that the building should be retained as a health centre — ahead of the health body’s next board meeting on March 25.
Link to communities.gov news item
