Upgraded bin shed for Grafton Way residents in Camden CIL payout

Residents in a Camden Council owned estate on Grafton Way in Fitzrovia are to get an upgraded communal bin shed, part-funded by proceeds from property development in the borough’s Bloomsbury ward.

Around 135 households live on the upper floors of 30-40 Grafton Way, which is part of the late-brutalist, granite-clad Maple House building fronting on to Tottenham Court Road. It was originally designed by Richard Seifert and Partners, and completed in 1976 as a replacement for the Victorian era Maples & Co furniture store.

The refurbished bulk refuse room for residents is designed to improve waste management, and reduce fire risk as well as deter fly-tipping, states a council report on the decision.

The scheme will mean closing the existing small bin rooms on each residential floor, and opening the main refuse room on the street and upgrading its lighting and fittings. The work will also include a new door set with a fob connected to the current front door system.

A total of £10,000 is requested from the Local Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund and is supported by all three Bloomsbury ward councillors, Sabrina Francis, Adam Harrison, and Rishi Madlani.

“The total project cost is £20,000 and the remaining £10,000 will be funded by Camden Property budgets,” states the report.

“The present waste system is outdated and not fit for purpose. The system cannot cope with the amount of waste disposed by the residents, leaseholders and their tenants’ leaving bags of rubbish spilling on the corridors due to the size of the chutes and the refuse rooms. It is creating a fire risk.

“By improving the waste management system the fire risks presented by the current system will be minimised and for the first time residents will be able to recycle cardboard and other items including food,” states the report.

Camden Council do not own the freehold of the residential estate but are the leaseholders of the property and have day-to-day responsibility for internal repair and maintenance.

This type of project has been rolled out previously on Camden housing estates, and it uses Camden’s preferred supplier, MetroStor. It will take around six weeks to complete.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge collected from property developments to fund infrastructure, with 25 percent of the amount collected — known as Local CIL — allocated under a regime led by local ward councillors. The bulk of the CIL collected is spent on strategic infrastructure across the borough.

A total of £497,250 is being spent on 11 projects across the borough funded by the current round of Local CIL allocations. These include: a bulk refuse facility on the Red Lion estate in Holborn (£20,145), a community gardener in Somers Town (£17,500), and new bike hangars in Primrose Hill (£40,000).

Camden Council, decision details: Local Community Infrastructure Levy allocations, December 2024.

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