Camden New Journal - Letters: This deprived area needs site to be used for people

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 23 August 2007

This deprived area needs site to be used for people

• THE site north of the British Library should be developed entirely for affordable housing and leisure facilities, consistent with the government’s stated priorities of more affordable housing, and improved living conditions for Britain’s disadvantaged youth.
I am grateful to the Camden New Journal Comment (Site by the British Library must not be given up to more private housing, August 9) for drawing attention to this matter.
In the same paper Alan Spence, chairman of the Camden Co-operative Party, argues for this site to be co-operatively owned and run by trustees to provide housing and leisure facilities for the local community, as has been proved successful in the Coin Street development.
Here is a site in the heart of a deprived area of London ripe for community development, where a leisure centre and mixed development of co-operative housing like Coin Street would help to redress the imbalance in life expectations between people living in areas like this and affluent areas like Hampstead.
Surely it is time for our government to think about how to improve the lives of people living in inner cities and thereby treating the cause of ill health, crime and disaffection instead of unsuccessfully treating the effects.
The Department for Culture Media and Sport should surely be leading the country in ways to improve sports and cultural facilities.
Instead we read in the article Library land row deepens, that their spokeswoman stated that “the government took the decision to sell the site in order to secure best value for taxpayers’ money”; which taxpayers’ money one asks? Hampstead, Yorkshire. Who? How are the people of Somers Town to benefit?
How many times do we read in Somers Town “No Ball Games Here”?
Where are young people supposed to gather and socialise, or exercise healthily, to get away from the computer games and television to a more active life?
Where are potential athletes to train for the Olympic Games coming in 2012?
Where are school students and local people able to find enough playing fields or swimming pools for enjoyment, fun and healthy exercise?
We are told there is to be 50 per cent affordable housing on this land together with shops and offices.
We do not need offices. We are surrounded by them.
Look at the Regent’s Quarter at the side of King’s Cross, finished two years ago, where offices are still for sale.
Think about all those offices to be built on the new King’s Cross development.
First we need housing and secondly facilities for local people, for the people already living in Somers Town as well as for the new inhabitants.
New housing will bring more need and a greater necessity for leisure facilities.
What does the government really want for this site?
If Ken Livingstone is so keen on the Olympics can he not support sporting facilities such as a new swimming pool?
And can he not support a mixed development in the public interest on this library site as he did at Coin Street?
ANGELA INGLIS
Resident,
Somers Town

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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