Camden Town Hall Extension, Euston Road, London

Architect	Camden Architects Department
Date Built	1977
Location	Argyle Street and Euston Road
Description
The Camden Town Hall extension occupies a site on Euston Road across from St. Pancras Station and adjacent to the original town hall built in the 1930s. Like many buildings of the period, it has its detractors who would be happy to see it demolished, but ironically there seems to be quite a lot of concern that, if it is, it might be replaced by a tower block that would overwhelm this end of Euston Road. According to an article in the Camden New Journal, published May 3, 2012, by Richard Osley, "The council is moving out of the 1970s bubble concrete building because of broken lifts and high running costs and moving to brand new offices on the King’s Cross railway lands site." The Camden Council website confirms that they are indeed looking into disposing of the building, "Camden Council today (Friday 8 May) announced it is seeking expressions of interest from developers to purchase the Camden Town Hall Annexe site. The review of the site is a milestone in Camden’s property strategy, which is already saving £1.5million over three years through more efficient use of buildings. ... the Annexe building ... faces an estimated £15m repair bill as lifts, electrical, heating and drainage systems all reach the end of their useful lives. It also has high running costs and a larger carbon footprint than more modern office buildings. Council leaders are determined that the repairs bill must not be carried by residents and that savings should be made in the way office buildings are run. Marketing the Annexe site to potential developers allows Camden Council to establish its value and review options for future office accommodation and customer services provision. Action is needed now to avoid incurring additional costs to the taxpayer."