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No homes, no centre
• I AM furious at Labour councillors on the west area committee who turned down a planning application to turn the disused St David’s Church, in Lough Road, Holloway, into a new community centre and housing.
The council’s planning officers recommended the scheme. It had the backing of hundreds of residents and, as the lone Lib Dem councillor on the committee, I agreed. But we were all let down by the Labour politicians who dominate that committee.
The west of Islington has the very great misfortune to be dominated by Labour councillors, who have the majority on the west area committee. These Labour councillors lack common sense, and are obsessed with their bureaucratic target of getting 50 per cent social housing units from all developments – even if the community wants to get other advantages.
It is very rare – almost unheard of – to get a development come forward with such big benefits for the community as the one at St David’s Church.
The new community space would have been used by young people, schools and charities working with vulnerable people. It would have been a huge asset for the community, in an area where it is really needed.
But the Labour councillors ignored local people’s needs and wouldn’t accept anything less than 50 per cent social housing, and turned the developers down.
Well, 50 per cent of nothing is nothing, so not only do local people miss out on some fantastic new community facilities, it doesn’t help people on the housing register either.
Local people wanted the committee to be pragmatic rather than dogmatic, and to show common sense. Sadly, that is too much to hope for from Labour councillors in the party’s west Islington stronghold.
CLLR EMILY FIERAN-REED
Lib Dem, St Mary’s ward
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