• ISLINGTON is facing a housing crisis; doing nothing is not an option.

Every week we hear from families in severe housing need in Islington, with families crammed into small spaces without the room they need to work, play and live their lives.

The council’s landmark proposals for the Finsbury Leisure Centre site, published last week, would deliver around 100 genuinely affordable council homes, a fantastic new leisure centre, space for an NHS GP surgery and better public space.

We’re proposing the biggest investment in the area’s public services for a generation because, with more than 15,000 households waiting for a council home in Islington, we cannot stand by while so many local families wait for a home that would transform their lives.

We know some people feel very strongly about our proposals but, to build better futures for themselves, people need decent places to live. Building these new council homes would change many hundreds of lives over the decades to come, for young people and older people alike.

The council homes we build will be prioritised for nearby families and those with disabilities, helping create a more equal Islington and moving us closer to being a place where everyone has a safe, decent and genuinely affordable place to call home.

Most people in Islington agree building new council homes is essential. But at this time of soaring inflation and rising building costs, it’s harder and harder to do. We must make the best use of the space available, to build genuinely affordable homes that everyone needs, alongside fantastic new community facilities.

The proposals also include homes for sale, to help pay for the council housing. Of course, we’d rather every home on the site was a council home. We’ve called on the government to fund council housing properly but until they do we will have to build some homes for sale.

And this project is not just about housing; local people deserve better leisure facilities too. We know Finsbury Leisure Centre is a well-loved part of the local area, but it’s been nearly 50 years since it was built, and the community’s needs and expectations have changed. The current building is tired and needs significant investment to bring it up to modern standards.

By building a brand-new centre we’ll be creating a flagship place for sports and leisure, with all the current facilities reprovided in a more environmentally friendly building with new equipment. This includes four new, high-quality, rooftop football pitches built to the FA spec for five or six-a-side and with views over St Luke’s Gardens.

Alongside all this we’ll be creating space for an NHS GP surgery. With flexible spaces to meet growing demand, the surgery will provide a vital service to the community now and in the future.

People also told us the streets around the leisure centre didn’t always feel safe and asked us to improve greenery and planting in the area.

So our plans include new planting and improved, better-lit, streets and cycle paths to transform the public space, alongside the investment we’re making in better play and recreation across the road at Toffee Park and Radnor Street Gardens.

We are committed to working with the local community to get this right and want to hear your views on our proposals.

We will listen carefully to the feedback shared and present updated proposals for a further round of public engagement in the spring before submitting a planning application.

You can learn more and share your views online, or at one of our events, by Sunday January 28.

CLLR DIARMAID WARD
Deputy Leader & Executive Member for Finance, Planning and Performance