Volunteers from the People’s Army in Highgate Hill

AN abandoned building at the centre of a row over a proposed new skyscraper has become home to a food bank which feeds more than 700 people each week.

The People’s Army has been using the empty university buildings in Highgate Hill since March to store, organise, and parcel packages of supplies that they deliver to hundreds of families across Islington.

Hazel Jhugroo, who set up the food bank, said: “I knew that it was abandoned and that no one was using it and then I was like maybe we can use it because we need to store loads of stuff.

“I found the property manager and emailed them and said ‘can we use your building’ and they were like ‘yeah’, and I was like ‘wooo’.”

Empty houses, community centres, and blocks of flats are often a subject of controversy among residents who feel they could be put to use whilst they await redevelopment or planning approval.

“We’ve had such good use of this building,” said Ms Jhugroo. “When you have buildings that are not being used, it’s just a bit sad, because they could be used for what we’re doing right now… that potential could be 750 people getting fed.”

Developer SevenCapital has been criticised by locals who oppose their plans to redevelop the Archway site with a skyline-changing 27-storey tower.

But volunteers at the People’s Army said they were grateful they were currently allowed to use the site for free.

Asked whether she worried about losing the space if the planning approval is finally granted, Ms Jhugroo said: “Planning permission takes a while. They’ve said they’ll find us somewhere else but, even if they don’t, I always end up finding somewhere else. I started in a church, went to a nightclub, to a youth club, then to another church, and now we’re here.”

The People’s Army have benefited from donations from City Harvest, The Felix Project, and local supermarkets, but are putting a call out for more volunteers and donations in the run up to Christmas. “We definitely need more,” said Ms Jhugroo. “We try and do shoeboxes where we get people to donate things kids would like, even if it’s just a couple of pens. Some of these kids literally have nothing.”