Tracey Emin is embroiled in a planning row after asking the government to rule on whether she can build a new home in Spitalfields.
The Turner Prize nominee submitted plans to Tower Hamlets council last July to tear down a listed building in Bell Lane and replace it with a five-floor house connected to her studio in Tenter Ground.
The application is designed to bring the artist's home and work life under one roof.
But heritage groups described the plans as "destructive", adding historic buildings in the area were under threat.
The council is expected to reject the scheme on Wednesday after officers recommended it should be refused on heritage grounds.
But an appeal has already been lodged by experts on behalf of Ms Emin for a government planning inspector to have the final say.
The move comes after the council claimed "complex heritage issues and local interest" meant it was unable to determine the application within in the standard six-month timeframe.
Ms Emin’s request has angered opponents who called on her to scrap the scheme in order to protect "treasured" buildings in the area.
SAVE Britain's Heritage director Clem Cecil said: "This is an extremely aggressive move on the part of applicant Tracey Emin and suggests that she wishes to force this through the planning process, whatever the opinion of the councillors, local people or preservation groups.
"However, this does not change the fact that 66-68 Bell Lane is a locally listed building in a conservation area."
A Tower Hamlets spokesman confirmed the authority no longer has decision making powers over the application but said it will still be presented to the planning committee next week.
He said: "The council received notification of the appeal from the Planning Inspectorate.
“The council is still considering its position on whether to contest the appellant’s request for an inquiry.
“The application was not included on the agenda for December Development Committee and therefore it was not subsequently withdrawn.
“The complex heritage issues and local interest in this planning application were such that the determination period extended beyond normal timeframes to allow the applicant’s team and council officers to engage positively and proactively to address concerns raised with the application.”
The application has received 58 letters of objection and 11 in support.
In 2008, Ms Emin spent a reported £4 million to buy a large part of Tenter Ground to use as a studio and said she wanted to maintain the area's unique heritage.
Notable works by the artist include Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995, a tent with all the names of people she has shared a bed with, and My Bed, an installation of her own unmade bed which contained used condoms and blood-stained underwear.
Ms Emin has been approached for comment.