The former Clerkenwell Fire Station

TOWN Hall plans to sell off council-owned sites – including a former council house building, two former community centres, and homeless service headquarters – were passed through, despite objection from opposition councillors.

Islington’s top brass passed a bill last week to list 14 council-owned sites for sale – with the intention to reinvest money generated into buying back ex-council homes sold under the Right to Buy programme (RTB) and boost the council’s general fund.

Councillor Benali Hamdache, leader of the Green Party, criticised the policy after the decision was made in a cabinet meeting last week.

Speaking to the Tribune, he said: “What I would say is selling the silver during the hard times is short sighted. A lot of these developments and spaces should have real opportunity under the auspices of delivering homes directly via the council, or at least to consider other ways they can be used.”

Some of the sites had been earmarked for council housing development, such as the Drovers Community Centre which closed in 2020.

Cllr Hamdache said it made sense for “one or two” of the listed assets to be sold as they would return to public hands, but that speaking more broadly it was a damning indictment that Islington was “flogging off” its assets due to national funding restrictions.

Addressing the council’s proposals, finance chief Labour councillor Paul Convery said: “The package of 14 disposals is not a long term solution to some of the financial pressure the council faces.

“But it does release capital to buy-back even more former RTB flats and ease the cost of our capital programme.

“Whilst we do need to make savings to balance the budget in the coming three years, it will not be achieved by selling off assets and we have no intention of doing that.”

He added that the council planned to use the money to buy back 20 RTB properties to house Islington families, including those living in temporary accommodation.

But Cllr Hamdache said there was frustration that the decision was passed through “without much notice” or opportunity for opposition scrutiny.

He added: “My biggest fear is some of these sites just stay on the market for a very long time, not generating income, and because they’re being sold off, the council doesn’t look at any meantime use either. Land values have collapsed – a lot of the developers have all the land they need to deliver the homes, so the council is going to get much less money for this than they would a few years ago.

“I think we might look back with regret at some of these decisions.”

Councillor Giulio Ferrini, another Green, challenged the issue of financial viability, calling the suggestion that a site without value to the council would generate a hefty capital receipt from a buyer “perplexing”. “I don’t see why someone would come and buy something that has no use. If it has no use, it will have no value.

“I would ask the question, how is it going to be financially viable for someone else? And if it is going to be financially viable for someone else, they’ll probably get very little money in exchange.”

In response to the Greens’ criticisms, Cllr Convery said: “This handful of empty properties have no identified use for the council or any community organisation. Some have been empty for several years. The two former community centre buildings are empty because we have built new replacement community centres.

“We’re only selling these assets after thorough and exhaustive assessments which have concluded they are not viable for conversion into social rented housing, commercial rental property or community use.

“Wherever possible, we have welcomed organisations to temporarily use vacant buildings, including Streets Kitchen in Seven Sisters Road.

“Green councillors can challenge this through a ‘call-in’ of the executive’s decision. It takes just five members to do this and they have 19.

“My challenge to the Green Party councillors is what would they propose the council does instead? Not buy-back 20 or more ex RTB flats and keep families in temporary accommodation? Just leave the buildings empty? Carry on spending money to keep them empty?

“It is easy for the Greens to imagine a perfect world from the sidelines. They enjoy the luxury of opposition where they have no responsibilities for making.”

See anything you like? Islington’s land and property for sale…

• Laycock Building, Laycock St, N1 1TH: Former Victorian school building once used for council training and office accommodation, part leased to the NHS and Regional Adoption agency. Residential development has been deemed not viable. Money generated from the sale will go to the general fund.

• 52D Drayton Park, N5 1NS: Vacant council area housing office for which special purchaser offers will be given priority. Money generated from the sale will go to the general fund.

• Holly Hall, 1A Blythwood Road, N4 4EU: Vacant former community building deemed dilapidated and unusable as is with potential for residential development. It was floated as a potential site for GRT pitches and was considered as an option for the home of the Black Cultural Centre, which ultimately opened instead on Hornsey Road in 2024.

• 173 Highbury Quadrant, N5 2TG: A four-storey, end-of-terrace former council housing block left empty for nearly a decade.

• Soley Mews, Lloyd Baker Street, WC1X 9QQ: A piece of land at the back of residential blocks not deemed suitable for development.

• Pineridge Court, 80 Bells Hill, Barnet EN5 2SR: A set of garages in Barnet with potential for residential development.

• 166 Gillespie Rd: A small piece of land used by adjoining ‘pizza slice’ house as a garden.

• Forecourt of the former Clerkenwell Fire Station, Roseberry Avenue, EC1R 4RN. Money generated from the sale will go to the general fund.

• 19 Turle Rd N4 3LZ: Five-bed Victorian semi-detached house. It was considered for LBI residential accommodation but deemed not viable.

• Sotheby Mews Day Centre, Sotheby Road, N5 2UT: Former day centre for pensioners and older people earmarked to become homes. The council intends to sell it to the NHS as a leasehold to develop a new medical centre on the site and relocate the Miller General Practice.

• Drovers Centre, North Road, N7 9EU: Former day centre for pensioners and older people which closed in 2020 due to council budget constraints and earmarked for housing.

• 71 Ronalds Road: Derelict residential property deemed unviable for direct-delivery new build. On the same site as Highbury Roundhouse, Islington Food Bank and a car park, but these sites are unaffected.

• 7 Newington Barrow Way, N7 7EP: Four-storey office building with GP surgery on 1st floor. The council has said the existing lease for the GP surgery and proposed use for public health services would need to be protected as part of any sale. Money generated from the sale will go to the general fund.

• 48 Seven Sisters Road, N7 6BH: Currently used by homeless outreach group Streets Kitchen as a “meanwhile use”. Will not be sold until a new home for the organisation is found.