Developer fined for demolishing Goldfinger's cottage

10:30am Thursday 22nd November 2007

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A property developer who unlawfully demolished a Grade II listed building in Putney has been ordered to pay £11,000.

Rajiv Laxman, director of Croydon-based Arbus Ltd, was prosecuted by Wandsworth Council's planning department for destroying a former caretaker's cottage designed by architect Erno Goldfinger - creator of Paddington's Trellick Tower.

The cottage had been part of Brandlehow School, built in 1952, and is one of only two schools in the country designed by the Hungarian architect.

Laxman had applied for permission to demolish the cottage in 2002 but was refused.

A subsequent appeal to the Government's planning inspector was also denied.

Erno Goldfinger facts A leading figure in the architectural Modern Movement Goldfinger was born in November 11, 1902 in Budapest. He met and married Ursula Blackwell in the 1930s. She was the heiress to the Crosse & Blackwell fortune. After the Second World War he was commissioned to build new offices for the Daily Worker newspaper and the headquarters of the British Community Party. According to legend James Bond author Ian Fleming named the villain Goldfinger after Erno who had built his Hampstead home next to him. Fleming disliked Goldfinger's designs, and Erno initially considered suing Fleming for the slight.

However, in January the council was informed by worried residents that the cottage was being knocked down.

Planning officers rushed to the site and told Laxman to stop work and warned him further unauthorised demolition was a criminal offence.

But when officers returned two days later more of the building had been demolished with a mechanical digger.

Laxman was prosecuted under section nine of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 at South Western Magistrates' Court last week.

He was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 legal costs.

In a separate action Laxman has been ordered to rebuild the property exactly to its former appearance, using the same design and materials.

If he fails to comply he could face an unlimited fine.

A spokesman for English Heritage said: "The harm to the character, appearance and special architectural interest of the cottage and school is considered to be severe."

Wandsworth Councillor Leslie McDonnell said: "This was a flagrant breach of planning laws and a totally outrageous attempt to flout the regulations that protect the nation's most valuable and important architectural gems.

"Erno Goldfinger was one the most interesting of the post-war designers yet one of the least prolific. That is why the loss of this particular building is felt so acutely.

"The council has now ordered Mr Laxman to restore this listed building without any further delay. If he does not comply with our enforcement notice we will not hesitate to take further legal action against him - and if he's convicted - we will be pressing the courts to impose a very tough penalty on him.

"If developers think they can get away with circumventing planning laws like this in Wandsworth - they had better think again."