A letter by Finsbury Park resident Jenny Kassman repeating calls to use the visitor centre at closed Holloway prison as a homeless shelter has appeared in the Evening Standard. She said Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn and local homelessness charities have been pushing for the centre to be turned over to shelter homeless people since the… Continue reading Finsbury Park resident: ‘Turn visitor centre into homeless shelter’
News & Comment
Thank you for sharing your thoughts at Tuesday’s meeting!
On Tuesday evening around 150 people came to discuss future plans for the Community Plan for Holloway. It was a fantastic turnout. The gathering at Williamson Street Community Centre discussed how to maximise the influence local people have on what happens to the former Holloway Prison site. The meeting began with Will McMahon of Community… Continue reading Thank you for sharing your thoughts at Tuesday’s meeting!
Further delay to prison sale
The sale of the Holloway prison site faces yet another delay, the Islington Tribune reports. A buyer for the site now won't be in place until at least the new year. The news came when a Centre for Crime and Justice Studies staff member asked a question about the timetable for the sale at a… Continue reading Further delay to prison sale
Come celebrate our two year anniversary!
It's two years ago since we launched the Community Plan for Holloway at an event close to the prison in November 2016. We're holding a public meeting on Tuesday, 20 November to reflect on how much has been achieved since then and how we can work together in the future to influence the site's development.… Continue reading Come celebrate our two year anniversary!
‘MoJ needs to tell us who is buying Holloway site’
In a letter to the Islington Gazette, housing campaigner Glyn Robbins has demanded that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announces who is in line to buy Holloway prison, as the site still remains empty nearly two years after its closure. The letter reads: ''In summer we witnessed the debacle of prisons minister Rory Stewart telling… Continue reading ‘MoJ needs to tell us who is buying Holloway site’
Viability assessment guidance review ‘a move in the right direction’
Marj Mayo of Islington Homes for All welcomed the news that the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors will review its guidance on how viability assessments are carried out for new developments, the Islington Tribune reports. The new guidance will prevent developers from overbidding for land then shirking their affordable housing obligations on the ground that… Continue reading Viability assessment guidance review ‘a move in the right direction’
Local campaigners lobby London Mayor
On Tuesday 23rd October Islington Homes for All campaigners held a demo outside the Mayor of London's People's Question Time taking place in Islington Assembly Hall to demand action around the Holloway prison site. The local activists repeated their calls for: maximum council housing to be built on the Holloway prison site Mayor of London Sadiq… Continue reading Local campaigners lobby London Mayor
Council’s planning victory over developer to be enshrined in national guidance
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors will soon be addressing affordable housing requirements in their national guidance, reports the Islington Gazette. This comes after a recent landmark High Court judgement ruling that developers can't overpay for land and subsequently refuse to abide by local authority planning policies on affordable housing on the grounds of profit loss.… Continue reading Council’s planning victory over developer to be enshrined in national guidance
Activist speaks about Holloway campaign at event on housing crisis
Andy Bain, who is involved in the Community Plan for Holloway, wrote a letter in the Islington Tribune about a talk he gave earlier in October in which he covered the campaign around the Holloway prison site. In the letter Andy points out that the announcement of the preferred bidder is now 11 months overdue… Continue reading Activist speaks about Holloway campaign at event on housing crisis
Calls for London Mayor to build council housing on Holloway site
Islington Homes for All have launched a petition calling for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to negotiate with the Ministry of Justice to keep the Holloway site in public ownership and to use the Affordable Homes Fund to build council houses there, alongside facilities for the local community, particularly women. The petition reads: Last November London's… Continue reading Calls for London Mayor to build council housing on Holloway site
