By Andrew Wilson
An afternoon devoted to discussing progress on the Holloway site development seemed to me to have a mixed feeling – optimism and cautious progress on one hand, impatience and frustrated expectations on the other.
Organized by the Community Plan for Holloway (CP4H) group on October 5 under the title “What are the next steps for the Community Plan?” the open day was held once again at St Georges Church, Tufnell Park, whose vicar Alexandra Lilley is on the Community Plan steering group. There were stalls set up by various local groups (the Islington chapter of Extinction Rebellion was a surprise exhibitor), and some short briefings by members of the Community Plan group. These included a member of the CP4H’s planning, architects and energy working group, who stressed the opportunities the development offers for sustainable and innovative design.
About 100 people visited the exhibits as the afternoon progressed. People had lots of suggestions and questions. We were glad to chat with an organizer from the Women in Manual Trades campaign, who advocated for women to be heavily involved in constructing the Holloway site. CP4H’s newly hired community organiser Mark Charlton also was there, and cheerfully joined the Reclaim Holloway contingent as we folded our just-printed Women’s Building pamphlet.
The person that activists most wanted to talk to was Councillor Diarmaid Ward, who arrived with his eight-month old daughter Sophie. The abrupt cancellation of a series of public workshops scheduled by Peabody in September has caused considerable frustration and confusion. There has been no official explanation for the cancellation (nor any rescheduling), with the result that rumours have been circulating about why it happened and what hidden agendas might be at work.
In a discussion with several members of Reclaim Holloway, Councillor Ward said that neither the Council nor its Planning Department had asked for the cancellations – it had been Peabody’s decision. He reiterated Council’s support for the Women’s Building, as expressed in the Supplementary Planning document. Finally, he committed to organizing a meeting that would bring together members of Reclaim Holloway, CP4H, the Council’s Planning Department, and Peabody, in order to let all parties meet and discuss the future of the development.
As the event ended and Councillor Ward pushed his stroller towards the church door, CP4H’s community organizer called out, “Come again, Sophie – and bring your Dad if you want to!” The councillor exited laughing...
In the meantime, Reclaim Holloway awaits the promised meeting with interest.