City View in Chamberlayne Road is in the running for the annual Carbuncle Cup

The colour gold is usually associated with a glorious victory and reserved for the top prize, however, a building in Kensal Rise has shown this isn’t always the case.

A block of gold flats in Chamberlayne Road has been shortlisted for an award commemorating ugly buildings, despite the fact it has not even been completed yet.

The flats, called City View have been nominated in the annual Carbuncle Cup, an award set-up by Building Design magazine in order to find the countries ugliest buildings.

Readers are invited to send in their nominations and a selection are then chosen to compete for the not so coveted title.

A planning report from Brent Council, prior to permission being granted for the block, read: “It is considered that, as a whole, the innovative and, some would say, contentious building will create an individual and striking landmark.”

However, the shiny tower, which has been likened to a packet of Benson and Hedges cigarettes, has attracted criticism with some local residents claiming it is out of character with the area.

Corina Papadopoulou, who owns Kidsen, a children’s shop on Chamberlayne Road, said: “I am not keen on them, and from what I hear in my store the community is a little puzzled who decided on that facade.

“Surely they are hazardous for drivers in the sunshine as well.”

Anna Winston, web editor at Building Design magazine said although it wasn’t chosen by themselves, they ‘whole heartedly’ supported the nomination for City View.

She added: “It is an unsympathetic, aggressive building that dominates the surrounding streets and there is simply no excuse for it.”

This is the second time a building in Brent has been shortlisted for the embarrassing award after Victoria Hall, a student accommodation block in North End Road, Wembley, was also nominated earlier this year.

The name ‘carbuncle’ is derived from a comment made by Prince Charles, who in 1984 described a proposed extension of The National Gallery as “a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”

The winner will be announced later in the summer.