A couple of weeks ago Arsenal circulated a glossy flyer outlining its proposals for Queensland Road – 21-storey towers with 700 apartments. To all intents and purposes, the leaflet gave the impression that their plans had been signed and sealed.
A couple of weeks ago Arsenal circulated a glossy flyer outlining its proposals for Queensland Road - 21-storey towers with 700 apartments. To all intents and purposes, the leaflet gave the impression that their plans had been signed and sealed.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Neither councillors nor Islington planning staff were even aware that such a document had been distributed. As though this sleight was not enough, the detail of the plans themselves beggars belief.
Under the proposals, the plan is to construct around 200 social housing units sited all together in a continuous block on the south side of Queensland Road. While I recognise the need to provide social housing, the effect of the proposal is to create a ghetto. There has been absolutely no attempt to integrate social housing within the wider community of the development. Add to this the fact that there are no amenities in the immediate area for the residents of the social housing in Queensland Road.
Building a potential ghetto in Queensland Road is a cheap and easy short-term solution which will sow the seeds of real social problems for the whole of Highbury in the future. The council should reject Arsenal's latest plans unconditionally.
- D Thomas, Bryantwood Road, N7.
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