Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report

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published by Peabody and London Square

DEADLINE FOR RESPONSE:  6 JUNE 2020

The Scoping Report proposes in detail how the developer will respond to legislation that requires an assessment of all the environmental impacts of the proposed project

Why is it important?

It is important because it gives some images and plans of the likely site layout and suggests that the maximum number of homes that might be built is 1200. Islington’s council’s main publication on the site in January 2018 (called the Supplementary Planning Document) only considered up to 900 homes – so 1200 is far more homes than the Council suggested is suitable for the site – so that is a big difference. 

The Scoping Report is also important because it is how the developer agrees with the Council how many assessments of the planned development will be carried out, and to what level of detail.  

These assessments are crucial in making sure the final project is of a high quality, creating the best possible place to live and work, and minimising impacts for neighbours.

The Community Plan has carried out an initial review with the support of our Architecture and Planning Working Group and we are concerned that the Scoping Report seems to suggest the following issues are insignificant and so don’t need to be looked at:

  • Noise and Vibration inside the site
  • Daylight, Sunlight and Overshadowing inside the site
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Greenhouse gases and Climate Change

To ensure we get the best development possible for the community this needs to be challenged and Islington council need to make sure all these important and significant issues are studied.

Key health issues must be addressed and the risk of over-crowding in the context of the site capacity. The design must provide for good health, avoiding conditions of physical and mental ill health, and be able to respond to pandemics with social distancing. Access to sufficient open green space for all is a key concern. This is a legal requirement of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

We will be asking the council to broaden the scope of the environmental assessment to ensure that all aspects of the project are studied in depth at this important early stage. In this way the design as it develops will respond to all environmental issues and create the best possible place to live and work.

If you have any comments please let us know by e-mailing

engage.plan4holloway@gmail.com.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report does indicate that assessments are proposed for: Townscape Visual and Heritage Effects; Socioeconomics; Air Quality; Noise and Vibration (only outside the site); Ecology; Wind Microclimate:Daylight Sunlight and Overshadowing (only outside the site). We welcome their inclusion, but it is what is missing that needs to be the focus of everyone’s attention.

The document can be found here:

The important detail can be found in the first 65 pages – so you don’t need to read all 457 pages!  

You can submit a comment to the Council by using this link:

https://planning.islington.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=488518&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Islington/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Islington/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING

or the application number is P2020/1244/EIA if you want to find it on the Islington Planning Website.

If your response is above the 3,200 character limit accepted on the website, then you can send it direct to planning@islington.gov.uk using the above reference number