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Work begins to redevelop London’s ‘ugliest building’

Construction workers are about to start major reconstruction of an abandoned tower block voted London’s ugliest building.

Preparations have begun to turn Brown and Root tower in Colliers Wood into a glass-clad block of 150 flats with shops on the ground floor.

According to the Wimbledon Guardian, Criterion Capital, which owns the building, also has planning permission to build a further 68 flats as part of an extension on the south side of the abandoned 1960s eye-sore.

In addition, developers are giving £220k towards town centre infrastructure improvements under the planning consent agreement with Merton Council.

The building, which was previously voted London’s ugliest building, has been owned by Criterion since 2000.

Councillor Nick Draper said: “It’s really exciting. The reward is that Colliers Wood is going to be a better place

“It’s going to be the place that it’s always wanted to be.

“The really important thing for me is that for so many years the tower has been almost a barrier between the old part of Colliers Wood, the residential part with the high street and the new area with the shopping centre and big Sainsbury’s.

“And in a way the tower has sort of stood between them as a portcullis and I think the shops at the bottom of the tower will bring the two sides of Colliers Wood together.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .