Controversial Scheme To Demolish The Pavilions At Merton Abbey Mills

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Councillor says plan is "an unimaginative brick-and-glass box"

Controversial plans have been made to demolish The Pavilions complex on Merton Abbey Mills.

Office Estates Ltd want to replace the structure with a five-storey block with office and ground floor retail space.

The Pavilions is now occupied by a number of local businesses, including the popular Belgian Brasserie.

The new development would be one-storey higher than the neighbouring Bennett's Courtyard building and would be alongside the historic Long Shop.

There would be no car parking with the scheme, which would actually result in the loss of seven spaces overall from the site.

Local Councillor Nick Draper is among those who have registered their comments on Merton Council's planning website.

He said: "This building is a monolith and...towers over and obscures the heritage buildings. There is absolutely no need to build an unimaginative brick-and-glass box.

"The Mills is a heritage area under-visited by both locals and tourists, and that's something that we as a borough need to strive to change, not effectively give into. The building falls well short of what could be there. It looks cheap, and huge, and uninviting."

The above image clearly shows how the new block would look. What do you think? Why not comment on our forum?

February 17, 2017