Finsbury Estate residents said ‘hands off bin shed’

THE Town Hall has apologised for its failure to communicate with estate residents after their bin sheds were leased to a private business.

People living on Finsbury Estate were outraged to learn a private business had leased their waste storage facility from the council without any consultation during the pandemic.

Multiple protests have been staged against the site’s change of use, as well as a petition to the Town Hall with 275 signatures.

After months of secrecy, the Tribune can report the site has been leased to the Hussein family, who run the famous Fish Central restaurant in King Square.

A recent Freedom of Information release revealed Bunhill councillor Troy Gallagher supported the search by the business for additional premises.

But he denies extensive involvement with the case.

“I was asked… ‘who do I need to speak to on the council as I have some ideas [for a new premises]?’ I found out the name of the officer… I was asked a query about who to speak to on the council and that was it,” he said.

George Hussein said he is planning for the bin sheds to become a “community laundrette” where residents can “have free tea and coffee and maybe a biscuit while they wash their clothes.”

He added: “I want to make it a community laundrette for people to come in and do their washing, and have a meeting place there. The bloody thing was empty for years, but now some [of the residents] are up in arms. I’m starting to improve the place.”

Mr Hussein said he has so far invested roughly £40,000 in transforming the bin sheds into a laundry. He added that he was not aware that his new business would be the subject of repeated protests when he leased the site from the council.

“I think the council should have let me know if I couldn’t have the laundrette,” Mr Hussein said.

Richard Larcombe, chair of the Finsbury Estate tenants’ and residents’ association (TRA), said: “Islington Council made the decision to lease our bin shed to a business owner with absolutely no consultation with residents.

“Over 60 per cent of residents have confirmed in a petition we circulated that they don’t want the facility removed and turned into a laundry. As well as showing complete disregard for its tenants the council has led Mr Hussein up the garden path by failing to warn of the likely response to the removal of a facility so vital to the health and safety of the estate.”

The council has pointed out on multiple occasions that the bin sheds were unused for more than a decade, although residents say the council “locked up” the facility “without discussion”.

A council spokesperson said this week: “The council lets commercial spaces across Islington to generate much-needed income to help maintain our housing stock, and supplement rent paid by tenants.

“The space is being let at a commercial rent, and the council was not legally required to consult about the lease.

“Contact was made with the TRA at the time, but no discussions took place.

“The council could have handled this better, and we are sorry and will learn from this. We will keep talking with residents about improvements to the estate, including siting of bins.”