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Neighbours Elizabeth O’Donnell and Kevin McGrath |
Neighbours braced for all-night parties when students move in
Seven-storey block backed by planners despite lack of affordable homes
A BLOCK housing students is to be built in Holloway despite protests from neighbours who fear they will have to put up with round-the-clock, noisy, drunken parties.
The seven-storey block for 322 students will go up on former railway land in Holloway Road, close to Holloway Tube station.
Councillors on the Labour-controlled west area planning committee which approved the plans this week expressed concern that the development contains no affordable housing for people on the waiting list.
Residents from nearby Pollard Close and Headington Grove complained that they will be overlooked by the development, which will block out sun and daylight.
Lecturer Kevin McGrath, who teaches at the School of Oriental Studies in Bloomsbury, said a wall of the block would be so close to his second-floor flat that “it would feel like a prison or like living in a human zoo”.
He added: “It’s not suitable to have student accommodation so close to residential homes. There’s the noise, the all-night, drunken parties, which may be normal for students but residents want peace and quiet.”
Neighbour Elizabeth O’Donnell, 74, said her quality of life would suffer.
“Suddenly I’m going to be faced with a huge concrete wall blotting out the light,” she added.
“It’s very unfair. I’ve lived here for 20 years and never needed to worry about my view before. It’s all so overwhelming.”
Labour councillor Barry Edwards accepted that the developers had made efforts to lessen the impact of the block but he still had reservations about the effect on nearby residents.
The plans are backed by London Metropolitan University, in Holloway Road, which says there is a shortage of student accommodation in the area.
A spokesman for the architects said the development would be at least 20 metres from neighbouring flats and the wall would be timber clad to reduce its impact on neighbours.
“There is no suggestion of any loss of light or that residents and students will be on top of each other,” he said.
The scheme was approved, following a tied vote, when Labour chairman Councillor Paul Convery gave the casting vote.
Labour councillor Paul Smith, who opposed the plans, said: “This scheme has no provision for affordable housing, which goes against our current policy and everything we stand for.” |
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