During 'An Evening with Michael Palin,' the entertainer shared personal stories and expressed his views on proposed development plans for Gospel Oak. Developer Mount Anvil plans to build two 26-storey towers at the former Bacton Low Rise Estate. Palin critically remarked that high-rise buildings might transform Gospel Oak into a city dormitory, threatening its unique character and sense of community. He acknowledges the complexities of balancing private and affordable housing but emphasizes the importance of maintaining the area's soul and harmony.
"It's very very sad if Gospel Oak became just a lot of sort of dormitories with people working in the city," he added. "I see neighbourhoods becoming totally high rise now and they lose their soul."
"I think Gospel Oak has got a soul, it's indefinable, it's not Hampstead, it's not Camden Town, it's somewhere in between. I've stayed here for a long long time."
"They have an impossible task to build private housing to finance affordable housing and I don't know quite how you bridge that gap," he added.
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