Bulldozers lurk for Earls Court

New plan for Earls Court, Luxury flats are to take over London's Earls Court although developers promise the familiar facade.

Capital’s famous entertainment hub no match for land developers.

It has housed the world's largest water chute, welcomed the Empire of India exhibition and hosted David Bowie and the most disastrous concert of his career.

Now the bulldozers are to move in on Earls Court - a magnet for Kiwis on their OE - as the famous exhibition centre makes way for a controversial 8 billion ($16 billion) redevelopment that will replace the west London entertainment hub with luxury flats.

Under the housing scheme, which residents fear will tear the heart out of a bustling community, Earls Court will be transformed into a 31ha "super village". Backed by London Mayor Boris Johnson and designed by architect Sir Terry Farrell, it will offer 7500 homes, offices and shops. Penthouses with floor-to-ceiling windows and roof terraces are already being sold with prices beginning at 1.5m. A library, a new high street and a park are also promised under the plans, which have sparked a "Save Earls Court" petition.

None of the promised amenities will replace the art deco centre that, economically and culturally, defines the area, the Save Earls Court campaign argues.

Opened in 1887 and rebuilt in 1937, Earls Court welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year, who contribute 258m to the local economy.

Newer purpose-built halls such as the O2 Arena in Greenwich and the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Docklands have lured music fans and car and boat enthusiasts who would once gather at Earls Court, but the venue has a history of hosting weird and wonderful events that may never be repeated.

Entrepreneur John Robinson Whitley introduced an amusement park to the wasteland between two train stations, staging Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and erecting a giant, 91m wheel in 1895, a precursor to the London Eye.

The Great Wheel helped bring visitors to the accompanying Empire of India exhibition. A 21m water chute followed, constructed by Captain Paul Boyton, who flooded the arena in 1893. The ride was considered the biggest of its kind on either side of the Atlantic

Advances in amplification made Earls Court a natural venue for the new breed of 70s arena rock stars. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John and Queen played huge concerts but not every show went to plan. David Bowie was forced to quit the stage during a 1973 Ziggy Stardust concert described as a "fiasco" by NME. Fans were trampled in a stampede and the sound was said to be awful.

A stand seating 1200 people collapsed, injuring 90 people, at a Pink Floyd concert in 1994.

The 17,000sq m Earls Court Two, built in 1991 at a cost of 100m, marked the venue's peak. The Brit Awards, held at the venue between 2000 to 2010, upped sticks to the O2 Arena.

A 1948 Olympic venue for boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting and wrestling, the successful return of the Games in 2012 for volleyball provided an Indian summer for an Earls Court venue developers were already parcelling up.