Islington Tribune - News: Revealed... how the gyratory could look (if they find £6m)

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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 16 November 2007

Second option would create a piazza-style open space

Revealed... how the gyratory could look (if they find £6m)

Piazza among options but planners admit they still have to secure funding

THE unveiling of a £6 million plan to replace Highbury Corner gyratory has been marred by revelations that the Town Hall has yet to find the cash to make it happen.
Islington Council and Transport for London revealed the proposals to the Town Hall’s east area committee on Monday but admitted that “no funding has been secured to implement the scheme”.
The public is being asked for its opinions on three options, which all include moving the post office to create a station square outside Highbury and Islington Station.
The options are:
• To close the western arm of the roundabout to all traffic except buses, taxis and cycles, which would open access to the green space at the centre of the roundabout;
• To close the northern side to private vehicles and create a piazza-style open space outside shops and to plant more greenery;
• To make minor improvements, creating a station square, but essentially leaving the roundabout as it is.
At Monday’s meeting, Labour councillor Phil Kelly accused council planners and TfL representative Peter Harrison of “not consulting on very much”.
In response, transport planning officer Karen Sullivan admitted that cash had so far only been secured for initial designs and the consultation.
She said: “At the moment we’re not certain there’s a scheme that TfL and ourselves want to go forward with. Once the consultation has been concluded there has to be a discussion about where to bring forward funding.”
She said the council was hoping to use money from Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium development to pay for the relocation of the post office, as moving it will open up more space for football fans to queue on match days.
Residents of Georgian homes in Compton Terrace reacted in fury to the plans, claiming their preferred option – to close the southerm arm of the roundabout – had been ignored.
Conor McHugh, who lives in Compton Terrace, dismissed the options put forward as “deeply offensive”. He added: “We’d like to see it [the roundabout] reunited as it used to be to Compton Terrace.”
Ms Sullivan said closing off the south side had been ruled out in earlier talks because it is not heavily used by pedestrians.
Speaking after the meeting, Nathan Coffey, a resident and member of Upper Street Association, was particularly concerned about a plan to shorten Compton Terrace Gardens, which would involve the loss of a plane tree.
“It will directly impact and blight our house to cut off the main barrier to the roundabout,” he said. “The terrace is grade II*-listed and the gardens have been there for 200 years.”

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