Colliers Wood Tower Transformation

Despite regularly featuring in London's "most hated building" lists, the crumbling Brown and Root tower block that squats above Colliers Wood tube station can afford to be smug: its precarious position atop the Northern line guarantees it a stay of execution from the wrecker's ball. The derelict edifice, which is accused of all manner of ills, from being the site of amateur porno shoots to "creating hurricane-like winds" in the vicinity, is at last attracting the beady eye of Boris, who's considering throwing money at the problem. Planning permission for a conversion into apartments has been granted, but with the economy crumbling as much as the monolith's masonry, the eyes of local residents will be sore for some time to come. Perhaps they could learn to love it — the block does, for good or ill, put Colliers Wood on the map