Bitter dispute over proposed changes to Margate's 'brutalist masterpiece' tower

The 18-storey Arlington House in Margate, Kent, has long been considered a brutalist masterpiece. It inspired the English rock band Hawkwind's song High Rise and recently featured in Sam Mendes's Bafta-nominated film Empire of Light.

- Nadia Khomami

But now the building, which sits on Margate seafront next to the railway station and the amusement park Dreamland, has become the cause of a bitter dispute.

One of the UK's most prominent artists, Tracey Emin, is among hundreds protesting against the building management's proposed changes to the tower's original windows, which have been in place since its opening in December 1963.

Emin, who owns one of the flats, the architectural preservation charity the Twentieth Century Society and 200 others have lodged objections with Thanet district council. They say the changes will destroy the architectural character of the block, reduce views of the coast from inside, and irrevocably ruin the authenticity of the building.

"Arlington House is a historic building in Margate. At the time of its construction Margate was booming and it was an emblem of the future," Emin said.