Extracts from a letter to Islington’s planning committee before their April 4 meeting

• COMMUNITY Plan for Holloway’s environment & architecture working group wants to ensure that all the improvements to the plans for the redevelopment of the Holloway Prison site that were promised… are delivered.

These improvements should be included along with detail on how they are to be achieved in the… agreement that will form the contract between the council and the developer.

The improvements are:

— The Residents’ Space. Improved access to the residents’ lounge/space in order for residents to be able to use this amenity with equal access and the same conditions regardless of tenure.

There should be a community centre on the site with resident-led management of this space. This should include at the minimum free use of a residents’ hall throughout the week for everyone, included in the service charge of all tenure types.

Our research tells us this is vital to foster community cohesion on the site between residents from extremely diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Social tenants should not be stigmatised and discriminated against through being the only tenure obliged to pay-as-you-go.

— Retail spaces to be made available for amenities for young people at a peppercorn rent.

These spaces should be modelled on best practice social enterprise and lower rent schemes to ensure it is accessible for all older teenagers on the site.

We are concerned that there are not sufficient amenities for young people in the plans for the site and councillors agreed. This could go some way towards addressing this problem.

— Convert to more affordable housing tenures. If there is a surplus, Peabody has told members that they would convert some of the London Shared Ownership units to London Living Rent. Furthermore they said they would also look at converting some LSO units to social rent.

— Fit-out costs for the Women’s Building. Peabody committed to investing resources into fundraising for these costs, the details of which were to be set out in the section 106 agreement.

They also said they would consider paying the fit-out costs, estimated at £2.9million, if they have a sufficient surplus.

— A Mid Stage Viability Review. Peabody must agree on a formula in accordance with GLA standards.

It is essential that the mid stage voluntary viability review that Peabody agreed to abides by the regular viability regulations, meaning that the deficit is not taken into account, which could create an unwanted precedent, as raised by LBI’s viability officer at the planning meeting on 8th March.

COMMUNITY PLAN 4 HOLLOWAY
Environment & Architecture Working Group