By Emily Finch
Jeremy Corbyn: ‘For too long private developers have had free rein to buy up public land and build properties that are completely unaffordable for the local community’
JEREMY Corbyn has called the launch of a consultation into what should happen to the Holloway Prison site an “important opportunity for our community to have its say”.
The Ministry of Justice sold the former women’s prison to housing association giant Peabody and luxury homes developer London Square for £82m earlier this year. The Mayor of London provided Peabody with a £42m loan from the Mayor’s Land Fund to buy the site.
Mr Corbyn, the Islington North MP and Labour Party leader, said: “For too long private developers have had free rein to buy up public land and build properties that are completely unaffordable for the local community. “This consultation is an important opportunity for our community to have its say on the future of the Holloway Prison site.”
He added: “Our borough needs social homes and genuinely affordable homes built on the Holloway Prison site and that must be the priority for this development.” The consultation will give attendees “a chance to work from a blank map of the site, see the constraints and leave feedback”.
Peabody have said that they will build more than 1,000 homes with 60 per cent “genuinely” affordable homes. They say that of the 600 or so “genuinely” affordable homes, around 400 will be for “social rent” while the rest will be shared ownership or at London Living Rent prices.
Mr Corbyn said: “It is also absolutely essential that plans for a women’s centre on the site go ahead, in addition to the proposed homeless shelter.”
Peabody had previously said they would allow the prison’s visitor’s centre to be transformed into a temporary shelter for around 40 homeless people. But Jon Glackin, from homelessness outreach group Streets Kitchen, said he had turned down Peabody’s offer because he was unhappy that there would be security guards based in the downstairs area of the centre.
Residents are invited to a series of consultation events hosted by Peabody and London Square with the first on June 17. Phil Church, from Peabody’s development team, said: “We’re looking forward to carrying on the discussions and hearing people’s views and ideas.”
For more information go towww.hollowayprisonconsultation.co.uk/