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It was home to the studio where Pink Floyd recorded their bestselling 1979 album The Wall. But the three-storey Victorian warehouse and locally listed former church hall at 35 Britannia Row, in Canonbury, is now to be turned into eight luxury flats – though council planning chiefs have battled to ensure some of it will be retained for office and studio space.

On Tuesday, councillors are expected to approve Brittania Row Ltd’s application to create three three-bedroom and five two-bedroom flats with roof terraces across the third-floor and a fourth-floor extension. In addition, 440 square metres of office floor space will be created as part of a two and three-storey extension over an adjacent yard area. The basement will also be excavated to create more space.

Under permitted development rights, developers are allowed to turn offices into flats without applying for planning permission. But St Peter’s ward councillor Martin Klute said Islington Council had stepped in to stop the developer from turning the whole building into flats, out of concerns for the lack of spaces for small businesses in the area.

“We removed permitted development rights by introducing what is called an Article 4 direction, removing permitted development rights in a key business district,” Cllr Klute said. “There’s no longer a permitted development right to convert on the building, and, while the developer is adding two floors to the building for residential use, the rest of the building will be for business use. It has a lot of really nice office space.

“We have lost a huge amount of small business space because of permitted development, because developers can make much more money converting spaces into residential.


An illustration of how the building could look

“It has done huge damage to small businesses and I’m pleased some of this building has been retained for office space.”

Pink Floyd’s presence in Canonbury led to the band’s controversial decision to record the video for Another Brick in the Wall – the familiar chorus “We don’t need no education” – with students at nearby Islington Green School.

Sound engineer Nick Griffiths recruited the pupils – an entire music class and its teacher – for the video of the song, which was seen as a protest against rigid schooling.

When the studios moved to Fulham, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason converted the 25000sq ft warehouse into offices and studio space. He later sold the building.

The warehouse, which last changed hands for £6million, is now owned by Jersey-based trust company Consortia Trustees Limited and CPL Services Ltd, also based in the tax haven.

The council received 11 objections against the scheme from nearby residents, who were mainly concerned about the height extension.

Britannia Row Ltd could not be reached for comment.