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Unite to save centre
• THE closure of St Joseph’s Community Centre in Highgate has been in the news.
The Passionist Order, under the direction of Fr Nicholas Postlethwaite, wants to develop the green area which surrounds St Joseph’s Church and Monastery.
They say this is necessary to raise the capital required to repair the church and to build comfortable accommodation for the older priests who live within the monastery.
The idea is to build low-lying houses outside the monastery. Why? On top of this, they propose to build 31 other dwellings, some of which will be on offer to the council as affordable housing. This is, of course, an incentive to gain planning permission from the council.
But a few questions need asking. Why was the church allowed to fall into disrepair? And why more accommodation when, in fact, we have now fewer priests than ever in the history of the church?
The monastery is such a large building and has housed many more than at present. What of the community?
Fr Nicholas, via Fr Mark, says the Passionists want to leave a legacy to the people of Highgate. What a legacy. More housing, more cars, more pollution, more traffic and less green space. And no more parish community centre.
What of the older and the younger generations who use the centre regularly? Where do they go? There is no other facility in or near the area. It is said we will be able to use part of the monastery but that is not true as they also intend to build flats within it.
Come on, people of Islington, don’t let it happen. Join us in our fight to save the community centre. Write to Fr Nicholas and Fr Mark.
ANTON COYLE
Despard Road, N19
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