How the new tower planned for Archway could look

• SINCE the announcement of the closure of Holloway Prison in 2015, Community Plan for Holloway have amplified the voice of the community, providing input, comment, scrutiny, into the redevelopment plans.

Over the last eight years we have built up a huge body of knowledge about needs in Islington and about the planning process that should make sure that developments address these needs.

We can comment on the Archway Campus development proposals.

Housing at social rent is the number one priority in Islington. There are thousands of Islington residents on the waiting list for a place to call home at a real affordable council rent.

There are many reasons why Islington’s planning committee should reject all or part of the Archway Campus development proposals.

For example, the poor consultation, lack of community engagement, the demolition of beautiful historical buildings that can easily be refurbished to provide housing, the impact on neighbouring properties, limited open space but no green space, the luxury 82-metre high tower for student housing (52 metres higher than Islington Council’s self-imposed maximum building height), meaning a net negative impact on local services (no council tax from students); or just the fact that local groups such as the Islington Society, the Highgate Society, the Save Archway Campus campaign, the Better Archway Forum and others have all objected to the development.

Given the developer has put the plans forward, they will be confident these plans can pass.

There will have been many “pre-planning” conversations with the planning department.

Now it is only the council’s planning committee that can stop these proposals from passing. The committee is made up of a dozen Islington councillors. They have the final say and they should reject the plans outright.

They should reject the plans based on all the above, but above all because this development offers nothing to alleviate Islington number one priority of housing at social rent.

Read past the spin and the jargon and just 14 per cent of all new housing units planned will be at social rent.

That means that fewer than 200 people out of the 12,000 that are waiting for a council flat will be serviced by this huge development.

This proposal may well be the worst Islington has ever seen.

If it doesn’t benefit Islington, reject it.

RODERIK GONGGRIJP
Chair, Community Plan for Holloway