LOCALS who live in a row of council flats said to be London’s “most desirable” have told of what life is really like there.
The flats on Mansfield Road in Camden were called the “most desirable council housing in London” in a TikTok video.
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The video, with over 50,000 views, has celebrated the vision of Gordon Benson and Alan Forsyth who designed the flats.
The video credits Benson and Forsyth for designing flats with the feel of terraced housing. The homes near Gospel Oak Station feature open plan, split level design, and expansive skylights.
But now residents who live on Mansfield Road have questioned the hype surrounding the flats.
Speaking to website My London locals have poured scorn on the claim they are the best of their type in London.
Dawn, 61, who declined to give her surname, said: “They’re cold in here, the floors are terrible, they creak all the time, the walls are very thin… I can hear all my neighbours all the time.”
She said that the property appeared to be nice when she moved in eight years ago. But since then she has discovered that the rooms were too small.
Dawn claimed that the flooring was too weak and that her son fell through the floor on one occasion.
Dawn said that she found the Tik Tok video which described the flats in glowing terms “genuinely hilarious.”
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Jennifer Biggs, 67, who moved in to her flat in 1983, said : “In summer it’s a really lovely home, but in winter it’s really cold.”
Jennifer said that the flats had many attributes but she felt that the designers did not quite achieve what they set out to accomplish.
Rachel, 50, who rents her flat from a private basis, said that her family loved the property but that there were problems with the public thoroughfare outside.
She said there were issues outside with anti-social behaviour and drug dealing.
Dave Halsey, 70, said that the flats were “lovely” but needed some attention.
Dave, a plant grower, was particularly keen on his flat’s large roof terrace. He said: “Tell them the place is not for sale.”
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