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Where is
the housing we need?
• The plans for the King’s Cross development
have been agreed by the council but I would wish to again point
out to all concerned that there are very serious concerns in
some of our minds on the housing for council use that this plan
will produce – social housing to include more for elderly
people in terms of sheltered housing; much more for all disabled
people and not to assume that the accessible housing in the
plan for the requirements of wheelchair users is enough to meet
the needs of those with limited mobility and other disabilities;
and lastly the great need for accommodation for large families
– the need for four, five and six bedroom properties.
I do not, as a disability campaigner and elder citizen,
see the present offers within the Development Plan from Argent
meet those needs and certainly not the needs of those housing
cases I am trying to resolve for larger accommodation for larger
families and for disabled people’s accessibility to homes.
The London Plan stated that the target for building social housing
was 595 houses a year when in fact, to our sorrow, the delivery
of social housing under the Development Plan will be 127 a year
– a maximum of 1,700 new homes over a 15 year period –
the National Target for affordable housing is 50 per cent a
year, 70 per cent which should be social housing.
This is something which I suspect worried some members of the
development control committee when it met last week in its mammoth
meetings to decide whether or not to approve the application;
and I would like to reiterate that this piece of land in King’s
Cross – the King’s Cross Development – is the
last piece of land for housing programmes in Camden that could
be used to massively diminish the housing list of people/families
seeking re-housing in Camden. Once it goes it goes and there
is no way back.
I agree with much in the Development Plan on leisure, arts,
business, and other areas but on housing?
No – there must be greater thought here and the plan not
go through without substantial increase in social housing for
the people rather than people seeking luxury homes.
Then overall housing aspirations do not meet the Mayor London’s
plans and those of Camden Council for social housing.
I hope that this is not too late – social housing is desperately
needs by a council with a large waiting list for housing and
in a borough with no other land waiting to be used for social
housing.
Cllr Roger Robinson (Lab)
St Pancras and Somers Town Ward
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