UNCERTAINTY surrounds plans to have two buildings in the heart of Wanstead given listed status – after the council refused to reveal which landmark properties were being considered.
Redbridge Council confirmed they are preparing to apply to have two buildings on Wanstead High Street listed with English Heritage.
Under the listing system, owners and occupiers of protected buildings are prevented from making significant alterations to preserve their character and historical interest.
A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said they would not name the buildings being considered, as discussions would have to take place with English Heritage, who operate the listing system.
Last year the Guardian reported that four landmark buildings had been earmarked for listing.
They were The George pub, the former Kinema building (which has just survived another attempt at redevelopment by its owners), Wisteria Cottage and the former Andrew's Builders Merchants, which are on Woodbine Place just off the High Street – but none were ever granted protected status.
Local historian John Goodman, 64, of Sylvan Road said: “I've not heard anything about any plans, but I did hear recently that the old builders merchants building was owned by the family who originally ran the business, and that it was quite dilapidated.”
Billie Figg, of the Wanstead Society, said: “Last year there was some talk of making a few buildings listed, including the old the Kinema building and Andrew's Builders Merchants, but I don't think the discussions ever came to anything.
“I think one of the reasons they don't make it public is because the people who own the buildings or the occupants think it's going to cost them an awful lot of money.”
A spokesman for Wetherspoons, which owns The George, said: “We've have no correspondence on this issue, but if it was something they were interested in doing then we'd be more than happy to discuss it with them.”
The Kinema building is owned by Nam Pham, who also owns the Nam-An Vietnamese restaurant on the building's ground floor. His spokesman, Stelios Solomon, said: “I'd be amazed if they were to list it.
“I don't think there's anything to list down there, the building is in a terrible state. I can tell you now, 100 percent, that there's no way they would list it.”
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