Cllr Caroline Russell

DEPARTING Green councillor Caroline Russell has said that the forthcoming Highbury Fields café must be a genuinely “accessible option for everyone”.

The council is in its final planning stages to begin building a new cafe within the park, and will then begin a procurement process to decide who will be given the keys to run the new site.

Last year, the council ordered longstanding tenants Oasis Café to evacuate their site for demolition, before saying that the plans to build a new cafe were unaffordable. They have since reversed this decision, and the demolition works have begun. Islington Council estimates the new café will be open by autumn 2027. Cllr Russell, who has represented Highbury since 2014, said that it was “ludicrous” that the project has taken 20 years to get off the ground.

She also said that it was essential that the new cafe site would cater to everyone in the community.

Cllr Russell told the Tribune: “I think whatever the council come up with it’s important how they decide who runs the cafe. It has to deliver a genuinely affordable offering to the whole community.

“I’m not saying we don’t want sourdough sandwiches or expensive coffees, but we also need to ensure there are options for older people, or anyone on lower incomes to come and use the space to have a cup of tea and watch the world go by. We need to make sure it is accessible for everyone.”