Published: 3 August, 2012
by PETER GRUNER

A YOUNG man perches on the roof of a new 16ft-tall “safe” treehouse in Holloway as emergency services prepare to rescue him.

It all happened in Arundel Square and the youth was eventually able to reach ground safely.

But the incident has raised concerns among some residents over whether the popular treehouse should ever have been installed.

Residents in nearby penthouse flats complain that they have lost their privacy because children who climb onto the top platform can peer into their homes.

As a result of the objections, the council must now apply for retrospective planning permission to itself. If councillors decide there’s a case for refusal then the structure, which cost thousands of pounds to design and install, will have to come down.

Mother-of-five Susie Graves, wife of actor Rupert, loves the treehouse. “It’s a great toy and a wonderful bonus for the area,” she said. “It’s really popular with young people of all ages and as far as I can tell completely safe.”

But resident Adam Adlen said he and his pregnant wife were not happy with the structure. “There was no proper consultation,” he added. “And people are able to see into our windows. There are signs that people are writing their names in the tree, which won’t do it any good.”

Another resident, Louis Leigh, who took the photograph above, said: “It doesn’t add to the square and spoils an otherwise tastefully designed area.”

Caledonian ward Labour councillor Paul Convery said: “There is always a bit of a risk in a structure like this but it is in a safe setting. There was a little bit of a flap in the case of the young man stuck on the roof. When he got down he was a little bit shaken and he won’t do that again.

“As for looking into people’s windows, well, that is a fact of life for most of us in London and that’s why we have curtains or blinds.”