The St Mary’s Path estate

• ISLINGTON and Shoreditch Housing Association is really pleased, after a long wait for residents of St Mary’s Path estate, to have started the process of consulting on future options, (All this disruption to give estate just two extra flats, June 21).

The consultation is being run independently and on-site, to make it as easy as possible for residents to take part and share their views on the three options.

We are committed as a housing association to helping keep Islington the mixed, thriving, vibrant place it is. That means keeping rents low and building as many new homes as possible.

Whatever option we decide to pursue, we have guaranteed all secured and assured tenants the right to remain on the estate once these extensive works are completed – at the same rents.

So, a family who currently pay the average rent for a three-bedroom home of less than £120 a week will still pay less than £120 a week. We have pledged that there will be no loss of social housing.

The option which proposes the redevelopment of St Mary’s House produces two more homes. We could have produced many more if we’d designed a block of one- and two-bedroom flats. But that’s not what’s needed on the estate.

The housing crisis which blights many lives in the borough plays itself out in different ways. On St Mary’s Path we have overcrowding, especially in some of the three- and four-bedroom homes.

The existing four-bedroom homes are almost half the size of the proposed modern, new-build, four-bedroom homes. So, the proposal includes in the new building 11 new three- and four-bedroom flats and maisonettes for families who live on the estate.

We know that these are people’s homes. That’s why we want a proper, rigorous, iterative consultation and why we have made the promises we have.

The consultation is being held in two stages. At the request of residents, we added two more days. The second stage will be in July. The two-stage consultation allows us to quickly clear up any misunder­stand­ings.

For example, we hadn’t been explicit that the refurbishment plans included new radiators – something residents raised with us and that we were able to clarify.

The consultation period closes at the end of July and we welcome feedback from residents on any alternatives they may have.

All the proposals for St Mary’s Path estate are designed to secure both the future of the estate and its community and stay true to ISHA’s purpose: to provide genuinely affordable housing in Islington.

RUTH DAVISON
Chief executive,
Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association