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How would you like to live next to this stinking dump?
• THERE is a stink in Islington and unfortunately it is connected to the Emirates Stadium.
Although the Arsenal team have started the season smelling of roses, some people believe there may be a connection between Wenger’s lack of spending in the transfer market and the downturn in the housing market. How many unsold properties are there in the Highbury and Hornsey Street developments? How has this affected the club’s ability to pay for the stadium?
The stink, however, comes from the new refuse processing centre or “dump”. Remember, this was built as a crucial part of the Emirates development. We were told it would be state of the art, it would never smell like the old Ashburton Grove dump and no one would even notice it was there. Yet now in “certain climatic conditions” (summer?), it stinks and you can smell it all around the area. Think of the smell of a rubbish lorry and imagine living behind it permanently.
But the real stink in Islington comes from the politicians who allowed this dump to be built in a residential area. They knew it was only a matter of time before it would stink. They knew how bad the old Ashburton Grove stank. They knew all along. They must be accountable.
ALASDAIR SMITH
Landseer Road, N19
• ISLINGTON Council’s east area planning committee rejected Arsenal’s latest coachparking proposals unanimously, so it was extremely disturbing to read in the Tribune how the council chief executive, John Foster, used delegated powers to overturn the decision (Gunners in secret deal on coaches, July 31).
Surely delegated powers are supposed to be used by planning officers to avoid wasting councillors’ time on non-contentious applications, not to directly reverse decisions already voted on by our elected representatives about highly controversial, high-impact schemes such as this?
One of the earliest things Katie Dawson did, when she was elected as Islington’s first Green councillor, was to win the right for Arsenal planning decisions to be made at area level, by representatives of the people most affected, rather than by a secretive committee tucked away in the Town Hall.
But while Arsenal continues, as ever, to try to bulldoze its desires all over the valid concerns of local people, I’m not sure which alternative is less attractive. That the Lib Dems are so cosy with Arsenal they’re quite happy to subvert the democratic process? Or that our highly paid chief executive could be so contemptuous of our councillors as to take it on himself to overturn their decision?
It was a relief, at least, to read that our MP, Jeremy Corbyn, is writing to Mr Foster to find out what powers he thought he was using and how he chose to interpret them. This feels like a serious breach of the council’s duty to the community, so please let us know the outcome of his inquiry as soon as possible.
ANDREW MYER
Islington Green Party |
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