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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 07 November 2008

Neighbours’ sleepless nights as backpackers move into street

A FAMILY home turned into a backpackers’ hostel has sparked a petition protest from neighbours.
Canning House, in Canning Road, Highbury, was converted to a backpackers’ hostel without planning permission. A subsequent application for retrospective planning permission was rejected.
Neighbours complained that rowdy backpackers – up to 16 people were renting rooms, it is claimed – have caused them endless sleepless nights.
They presented a petition to the council complaining of late-night revelry, litter and rubbish overspilling bins in the front garden.
Canning Road resident Nick Bedu, 32, a TV cameraman, said he and his wife often had difficulty sleeping at night because of the noise from next door, which disturbed their four-month-old baby.
He said: “I’m not blaming the young backpackers. They want to have a good time. I blame the person responsible for establishing a backpackers’ hostel in the middle of a quiet, suburban area. We’ve had drunken behaviour and personal abuse – I’ve even had to call police out on several occasions.”
The council’s Lib Dem deputy leader Councillor Terry Stacy said: “We’ve listened to what residents told us and taken action to sort out this unacceptable situation. It goes to show our enforcement policies have teeth and we won’t hesitate to take action when we need to.”
An enforcement notice ordering the owner to stop using the home as a hostel should come into effect in January – if an appeal is not launched. Failure to comply could result in prosecution and a fine.
The owner of the hostel was unavailable for comment this week.

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