Saved for Britain: the old concrete house of Dulwich

London's oldest concrete house is to be "saved for the nation".

The Grade-II listed building in Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, is the only surviving example of a 19th-century concrete house in Britain. It has been empty for more than 20 years, is infested with rats, and has become a target for vandals and graffiti artists.

Today, Southwark council and the Heritage for London Trust issued a compulsory purchase order to force owner Birballa Chandra to relinquish the property. Paul Noblet, Southwark's executive member for regeneration, claimed Mr Chandra had neglected the house, refused to discuss plans for its future and ignored attempts to contact him.

"Officers have had difficulty in accessing the site and the absentee owner has rode roughshod over planning rules — so we've taken the action we know will save this historic building for future generations," he said.

The property, built in 1873, has carved wooden gables and a gothic pitched roof. It was designed by Charles Barry Junior (1823-1900), whose father, Sir Charles Barry, was responsible for rebuilding the Houses of Parliament in the 1840s.

Charles Barry Jnr also designed Dulwich College's red-brick New College.

Mr Chandra has tried on five occasions to get permission to demolish the Concrete House, without success.

Last year his agent Rajeev Laxman, who shares his business address in Leicester Road, Croydon, allegedly ignored council warnings and built a replica of the house behind it without planning permission. Southwark is investigating. The Victorian Society's conservation adviser Heloise Brown said everything should be done to protect the original house. "The only justification the owner gave for knocking this property down was its poor state of repair, a situation largely down to him. It's time he was brought to account," she added.

The compulsory purchase order must be approved by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. Southwark is confident it can get funding from the Greater London Authority for restoration and has earmarked £73,000 for temporary works.

The Evening Standard's architecture correspondent Rowan Moore said: "This building should be kept. It is part of London's history and if it were looked after would not be an eyesore."

Neither Mr Chandra nor Mr Laxman could be reached for comment.