Islington Tribune - News: Hopes of saving arcade boosted

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 14 March 2008

From left, council leader James Kempton and antiques traders Esme Johnson, Mike Weedon and Jan Van Den Bosch

Hopes of saving arcade boosted

THERE was a new mood of “cautious optimism” this week among Islington campaigners fighting to save The Mall antiques arcade – Camden Passage’s jewel in the crown.
It follows a meeting between Town Hall chiefs and London and Associated Properties chief executive John Heller, the landlord developer of The Mall who wants to sell the building to a supermarket.
Traders who attended the meeting at Islington town hall said that they felt “in with a chance” of saving the listed building, a former tram shed. Eviction notices were issued to up to 40 antiques dealers at the beginning of this year.
Mr Heller told the meeting that, while he proposed to apply for permission to gut the building, he was also willing to listen to alternative ideas from traders which would allow them to stay. He revealed that he had a potential buyer in mind but refused to say who it was.
Lib Dem council leader Councillor James Kempton said: Mr Heller said if his plans fell through for any reason then he’d listen to alternative proposals from the traders. But he has a financial figure in mind that he can get for the property which is more than it is generating at the moment. He added: “We do have some grounds to stop this proposed scheme but they are not as strong as we would like them to be.”
Mike Weedon, spokesman for the Camden Passage Association, said that the developer now realised he is in for a big battle. “The antique dealers of Islington are not going to lie down and die,” he said. “My message to them is sit tight.”
Mr Heller said: “All I can say is that we’ve made a listed building application to remove the interior of the building.”

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