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Standing up to Arsenal
• AT the east area planning meeting on March 3, Green councillor Katie Dawson was the only councillor to vote against the planning application by Arsenal to build new housing of extremely high density and to reduce coach parking space to eight coaches in Queensland Road (leading to further misery for residents whose streets are used as a coach park by the club).
Three Lib Dem and two Labour councillors accepted the plan with some conditions imposed. There was discussion about the height of buildings, lack of play space, insufficient renewable energy supply, where to park coaches, and congestion on the Piccadilly line and the Drayton Park line into Moorgate (both already at breaking point) – but none of that swayed the Lib Dems and Labour.
It is no surprise that the Lib Dems accepted the plan, given their track record from the start of this redevelopment, but what about Labour?
It looks like Labour will never try to stop Arsenal either – because any section 106 money for social housing will always persuade it to allow a development, regardless of how overcrowded it is or how lacking in adequate facilities. Could that hold for the Sobell redevelopment too?
EMMA DIXON
Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate, Islington North
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