A schoolboy has turned detective to uncover the “lost” history of his 1930s warehouse home in an attempt to save it from the bulldozer.
Sami Kardos, 15, spent two years poring over old maps and records to compile a 27-page dossier with which he hopes to tonight convince council planners that the art deco former factory in Bermondsey has “heritage” value.
The block in Rollins Street is due to be replaced with 16 flats as part of developer Renewal Group Ltd’s regeneration plan for 2,400 apartments.
Lewisham council ruled the building was of no historic significance after not finding it on maps of wartime bomb damage. But Sami, whose mother Gabriella bought the flat in 2000, set out to prove them wrong.
He tracked down former residents, spoke to archivists at the National Library and scoured reels of microfiche to discover its past. He learned the building first housed Ebonestos Industries Ltd, a manufacturer of aircraft components for British bombers.
After the war it became a plant for Decca Records before being bought by singer Eddy Grant.
Sami, a pupil at City of London School for Boys, said: “I’ve lived here all my life. It’s quite beautiful and I was infuriated when the council report said there was no heritage value.”
Sami has been backed by neighbours and local artists, and the council has received 11 letters of objection. He will present his research to the council’s strategic planning committee tonight as they decide whether the demolition can go ahead.
A council spokesman said it was not appropriate to comment ahead of the meeting. A Renewal Group spokeswoman said the Rollins House development would give Lewisham a “mixed-use building, creating much needed additional homes and jobs, which will considerably improve the local area”.
