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Other side of estate
• I noticed at Tuesday night’s full council meeting that the minutes for October 2 included a question raised by Labour councillor Barry Edwards to Lib Dem councillor Terry Stacy, executive member for housing and communities.
The question was: has the executive member for housing visited Chester Road, in Highgate, Coleman Road, in Camberwell, or Carshalton Road, in Sutton?
The response from Islington council’s executive member was that, sadly, he wasn’t able to but he does normally attempt to get around as many Open House events as possible. He did, however, manage to get to Wallington.
Readers may be interested to note that the Priory Green estate was designed by Lubetkin in the 1930s, built in the 1950s and “destroyed by English Heritage and Peabody Trust” in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Also part of the Open House events, it is promoted by Peabody Trust as supposedly of particular artistic and architectural merit.
Apparently part of the artistic and architectural merit included thousands of hand-made Italian tiles on the exterior walls, which put a large dent in a budget that could have been used to improve the life of its residents. They certainly didn’t get them from Topps Tiles.
Residents of Priory Green don’t see it in quite the same light as outside observers. Heating systems are rapidly collapsing despite a fortune being spent on them a few years ago.
The result is little hot water or heating. Of particular concern during the winter months is the vulnerability of the elderly, who are at greatest risk from hypothermia.
Because of bad design and poor management, the blocks have piles of stinking rubbish infested with vermin. CCTV and security systems either don’t work, are badly located or do not record, failing to capture the several drugs and gun incidents that have occurred.
Peabody policies and estate management appear to extend the Open House facility to anyone who cares to illegally park on estate roads or in already-rented spaces belonging to residents.
It does appear Islington councillors have to travel great distances to Highgate, Camberwell or Sutton to view the successes of Open House yet one of the great failures is close at hand – Priory Green estate.
Perhaps they should visit the estate and talk to those forced to live in such an environment. They may even attempt to keep their promises that they would ensure Peabody kept its promises.
JOHN WORKER
Priory Green estate, N19
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