Islington’s housing chief, Councillor John Woolf

PLANS to build new flats in a Canonbury park will not provide the genuinely affordable and family-sized homes so desperately needed in Islington, housing campaigners have said.

Islington Council has proposed to build a four-storey block of around 18 flats on the “hard standing” area beside a playground in Morton Road Park, off Essex Road.

Islington’s housing chief, Councillor John Woolf, said the council’s aim is to provide everyone with a “genuinely affordable home”, and at a public meeting to share the plans with residents, information boards said that at least half of the 18 new flats will be offered at social rents.

But some residents told the Tribune this week that the new development does not go far enough.

Islington Homes for All campaigner Morag Gillie said: “It just doesn’t make sense that councils are in the position that they are building homes, half of which they have to sell off. They are going for one- and two-bed flats rather than larger homes which are desperately needed, and they are still using the term affordability, which is not affordable. That’s a Tory definition and it doesn’t mean council rent.”

Islington Council is also asking residents for views on a potential new housing development in Peregrine House estate, off City Road near the Angel.

This would deliver around 170 new homes, half at social rent, but the council has not so far indicated the size of these new units, noting that plans for this scheme are not set.

Cllr Woolf said: “We are at the very early stages of engaging with the local community around the proposed development at Morton Road, and look forward to the second engagement event we are holding in December.”

He added: “This is a chance for residents to feed back any issues or concerns they have with the early stage design proposals. Our ambition, as set out at the consultation event, is for 50 per cent of all new homes to be for social rent.”