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Archway Tower |
Ssssh! We’re spending another £200k trying to ‘fix’ Archway...
Council plan to launch third redevelopment scheme ‘quietly’ draws flak from all quarters
PLANNERS from Islington council are accused this week of “quietly” launching a new £200,000 public consultation to redevelop rundown Archway – the third in as many years – in order to “obtain the result they want”.
Furious residents and traders fear that the council wants a large supermarket to be part of the development, despite major objections that it would ruin trade for dozens of small shops.
Campaigners – led by the Better Archway Forum – have argued that any redevelopment of the area must be small scale so that it does not cause years of blight and disruption and ruin small local businesses.
Two developers have wanted to rebuild Archway in the past 10 years but one, Orb estates, went into receivership and the other, St Modwen, was unable obtain sufficient land.
Three years ago Islington spent another £200,000 on independent consultants BDP, whose scheme for a big development came to nothing in the face of local opposition.
Amy Silverston, a parent at the Archway Children’s Centre – which, so far, has not been consulted – said: “Maybe this is like the old adage about democracy in dictatorships – if the people give you the wrong answer then just keep asking them until they get it right. But it’s our taxes that are paying for this.”
Junction ward Labour Councillor Janet Burgess, who has been in the forefront of the campaign to redevelop the town, said she only found out about the new consultation by accident.
Cllr Burgess said: “I had to make a big fuss before I was told anything. I’m now officially a stakeholder, although I really hate that expression.”
Cllr Burgess met with the assistant director of Islington Regeneration, Seema Manchanpra, who explained that the council is investigating what can be done in Archway in the current economic climate. “I asked the officer if it was true that a big supermarket was driving the scheme. She replied that supermarkets are in conversation with people in the area.”
Kate Calvert, chairwoman of the Better Archway Forum, said it was very early days. “We’re concerned about rumours of a supermarket and any suggestion that this might water down protection of the area. We stand by our already stated views that any development should be small scale, non-disruptive and enhance rather than radically change the area.”
Former mayor, Junction ward Lib Dem Councillor Stefan Kasprzyk, defended the consultation as an opportunity to keep the proposed development in the public mind and receive ideas from all sections of the community.
“If a supermarket, or anyone else, wants to be involved then at least they should be allowed to be heard,” he said.
“We are aware of the opposition to a large supermarket and it doesn’t mean that we will want one in the scheme.”
Tollington ward Islington opposition Labour leader Councillor Catherine West said: “Clearly we need some redevelopment in Archway. But why are we spending another £200,000? This is spending good money after bad. I wonder if it is all an election gimmick.”
Cllr West added that she didn’t think it was a good way to spend public money in the middle of a recession. “There are people facing unemployment and we have no proper advice bureau,” she added. “The council’s priorities need to be questioned. |
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