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Housing giant may have to scrap
King’s Cross plan
Campaigners push for more affordable homes at Triangle site
A MAJOR housing development in King’s Cross could be scrapped following a campaign for affordable homes in a planning inquiry this week.
The David versus Goliath square-off, between property giant Argent and The King’s Cross Railway Lands Group and the Cally Rail Group, is over a patch of former railway land known as the Triangle.
Plans to build 200 homes there were spiked last July after Islington Council said Argent, which stands to make millions from the sale of private homes, was failing in its duty to help house the poor.
Argent, which has revised the figure to 246 homes, appealed against the decision but could now see the whole project collapse.
The campaign groups are using the inquiry to argue the site – hemmed in by a grid of noisy railway-lines – is not fit for any housing scheme and should be scrapped.
Phil Jefferies, representing the campaigners, told the inquiry: “We don’t feel it is fair or appropriate to push them onto this site. It should be delivered if necessary by swapping uses with the main site.
Under the Mayor of London’s planning guidelines, called the London Plan, 50 per cent of all new housing developments must be affordable.
But Argent say its offer of 84, 34 per cent of the 246 homes, is more than enough.
surprisingly, Camden Council, which has a 15,000 council housing waiting list, is ready to bend its own rules to back Argent.
Barrister Paul Brown, representing Camden Council, said “noise free” climates for “social housing” were a “luxury”.
He added: “Argent’s proposals for the Triangle site are an acceptable and entirely welcome contribution to the overall jigsaw puzzle.”
Morag Ellis, QC, representing Islington, who disagree with Camden, said it was “impossible to overstate the importance” of the number of affordable homes included in the plans.
Keith Lindblom QC, for Argent, said: “This proportion of 34 per cent is almost exactly what was agreed as an apportionment for the Triangle Site by Islington Council when it adopted the planning and development brief in 2004.”
David Lavender must take his decision after four days evidence.
He said: “We have established there is increasing need for affordable housing.
But we must balance this with all the issues.
“This is what I will do in the decision-making process.” |
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