The damage inside the old Hive on the Rowley Way Estate

A FORMER community site on the Rowley Way estate was broken into and vandalised last weekend, returning the building to its former state of disrepair.

In 2017, the council spent £167,000 refurbishing the derelict “Hive” building at the end of the Alexandra and Ainsworth estate on Abbey Road.

The plan was that rent from a private company would pay for the thousands spent on the works.

In January, the New Journal reported how Abbey Road Nursery Ltd took over the lease in 2018 and promised to open a bilingual nursery.

But in a mystery which has baffled and angered residents for years, the nursery never opened and the newly refurbished building has remained vacant despite residents’ complaints.

That was until last Friday, when Elizabeth Knowles, who lives opposite the Hive, noticed fire extinguishers outside the building and saw that the side door was slightly ajar.

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She went inside and saw the interior for the first time since it was refurbished all those years ago.

Vandals had clearly broken in, dumping rubbish, splattering ketchup and paint on the floor and breaking windows.

Ms Knowles told the New Journal: “They’ve destroyed the inside. The little side room stank of weed. [The Hive] was empty for seven years. I never saw it finished before and I could see it had been completely restored. It’s not leaking or anything, it looks lovely.

“I’m completely disheartened by it. Nothing has been done, so why would anything be done now they’ve destroyed the inside. It’s just heartbreaking. It’s just really sad. I’ve just had enough of it, I don’t want to have anything more to do with it.”

Inside the former Hive day centre

Later she saw a group of about 14 teenagers enter the building and alerted the police.

Rowley Way resident Tom Muirhead said: “This incident underlines the concern we expressed back in January. But instead of leaving this building abandoned, it should be given over to community use.”

A spokesperson for Camden Council, who said they took possession of the building this week, said: “Following a break-in at the Abbey Road nursery site, we are working to ensure the building is fully safe and secure.

“We know that there is much interest locally in this property, and the property team is looking to relet it for an appropriate use as soon as possible.”