Brutalist tower block under threat

Plans to replace the original windows of Arlington House, Margate’s iconic brutalist tower block, have sparked fierce debate among residents and local figures.

The 18-storey building, built in 1963, is renowned for its distinctive wave-like design, providing every flat with views of both the sea and inland. However, its original windows, a key feature of its brutalist architecture, are now at the centre of a heated row.

World-famous artist Tracey Emin, who owns a flat in Arlington House, is among the 200 residents opposing the proposal by the building's management company, Freshwater. They want to replace the building's original sliding windows with thicker, double-glazed “tilt and turn” ones, citing energy efficiency and safety improvements.

Speaking to the UK’s Guardian newspaper, Emin said the replacement windows would ruin the building's aesthetic and historical character. "Arlington House is a historic building in Margate... It should be listed and renovated back to its original beauty," she says, adding that the proposed windows are “bulky, unsuitable and inappropriate”.

While some support keeping the original windows, others are in favour of the change, complaining that the current windows are draughty and poorly insulated. Resident Lyndon Brand, 60, speaking to MailOnline described the current windows as "just terrible," explaining they "rattle, shake, and the heat distorts the frames in summer".

Arlington House was designed by architect Russell Diplock as part of a futuristic development for Margate’s seafront. Initially advertised as “Britain’s first ‘park and buy’ shopping centre with luxury flats,” the building has faced both admiration and criticism over the decades for its imposing brutalist style.

Today, it remains a divisive structure, with some residents calling it an “ugly eyesore” while others celebrate it as a “classic example” of 1960s architecture.

Thanet District Council is expected to make a decision soon on whether to approve the window replacement scheme.