End of an eyesore

Tuesday June 15, 2010

One of the borough's most ugly and dangerous buildings looks set for a bright future after vital work to make it structurally safe was completed.

80 North End Road has been one of the borough's top ten eyesores for the past eight years but new owners have moved quickly to comply with a dangerous structure notice which means the scaffolding that was holding the building up can finally be removed.

W14 residents had consistently complained about the vacant four storey Victorian terrace opposite West Kensington tube station after fire ripped through the building in 2002.

Scaffolding, which was put up to support the building following the inferno, was only supposed to be in place temporarily while arrangements were made for repair works to begin. The previous owners failed to do any repair work as it is understood they ran into financial problems meaning that, until last week, the unsightly scaffolding was still there.

However, things started to look up for the sorry looking building after a new owner - who wishes to remain anonymous - bought the property last July and promised to restore the building to its former glory.

Council officials made site visits earlier this week and have confirmed that the scaffolding securing the front and back walls can now be removed. There are now hopes that the building's unsightly appearance - with torn plastic sheeting on the scaffolding, combined with fly-posting and graffiti - may soon be a thing of he past.

Councillor Nick Botterill, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment & Asset Management, says, "The previous owners allowed 80 North End Road to become one of the borough's worst eyesores. For too long the building was a blight on this picturesque row of shops and now - under new ownership - there are high hopes that 80 North End Road has a bright future."

The council had taken a zero-tolerance approach with the previous owners and served an enforcement notice on them last year before they were finally forced to sell up.

Now that the building is structurally safe the next stage of the building's renaissance should involve the new owner putting in new floors and making other internal repairs.