One of Britain’s most prominent architects, Lord Rogers of Riverside, last night questioned the “authority and objectivity” of the body which makes listing recommendations to the Government.

His criticism of English Heritage came after a campaign by leading architects, seeking heritage status for a rundown east London council estate, was rejected by Margaret Hodge, the Culture Minister.

Ms Hodge took the advice of English Heritage before concluding that Robin Hood Gardens was “not fit for purpose”. The estate now faces demolition.

Eminent architects including Lord Rogers, Lord Foster of Thamesbank and Zaha Hadid had claimed that the dilapidated housing estate was a modern masterpiece which should be preserved.

Lord Rogers said in a statement tonight: “All the British winners of the Pritzker Prize, the highest international award for an architect, agree that Robin Hood Gardens is one of the greatest modern buildings in the UK.

“There is not one internationally recognised modern architect or academic included in making English Heritage’s recommendation on Robin Hood Gardens to the minister. We should, therefore, deeply question the authority and objectivity of English Heritage in discussing contemporary architecture of this quality.”

The architects had claimed that while the estate had been badly neglected over the years, it should be refurbished rather than demolished.

The estate’s two council blocks, which boast multi-million pound views of nearby Canary Wharf, will now be demolished to make room for a tower of up to 30 storeys which will undoubtedly attract high end buyers from the City.

During a campaign to save the building, it was lauded as a hallmark of brutalist architecture, which involves extensive use of concrete.

Lord Rogers described the estate, designed in 1972 by husband and wife Peter and Alison Smithson, "as good, if not better" than any other modern building in Britain and compared its layout to Bath's great Georgian crescents.

By designing a multi-storey building with rows of balconies, the Smithsons had envisaged modern housing being built as “streets in the sky” to encourage the residents to feel a sense of belonging.

However Ms Hodge, who toured the site last week, said that it “simply doesn’t work”.

“When functional failures are fundamental, it raises questions about the architectural performance of the building and thus its claims to special interest,” she said.

“As well as this, features such as the stairwells and the boundary wall demonstrate the 'bleakness of design' that the experts have highlighted.

“Although I accept that it was designed by distinguished architects, I do not think that their reputation outweighs the evidence that Robin Hood Gardens was not innovative in terms of the 'streets-in-the-air' concept and it is not fit for purpose."

English Heritage had recommended that the building should not be listed and a survey revealed that 80 per cent of residents wanted to be rehoused by the council while the structure was demolished and replaced with new apartments.

The estate is not likely to be demolished until late next year as the redevelopment must go through the planning permission process.

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