Calls grow for London Mayor to bid for Holloway prison

As part of our Community Plan for Holloway project we have been working in partnership with local people and organisations in Islington to put forward a positive vision for the former prison site. Today, a petition has been launched, calling for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to purchase the former Holloway prison site and protect the land for council homes, community facilities and a women's building.

The petition, organised by Islington Axe the Housing Act and Islington Trades Union Council reads:

We call on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to submit a bid to purchase the former Holloway prison site.

At least 400 council homes could be built on the 10 acres of publicly owned land at the vacant Holloway Prison site alongside community facilities, including a women's building.

The local council (Islington) has a housing waiting list of 18,000. The Ministry of Justice is currently marketing the site (the closing date for bids is November 15th) and we fear it will be sold to private developers who will build homes for profit, with only a very small percentage of social rented homes.

Islington Council and the local MP (Jeremy Corbyn) support the use of public land for public benefit, and the Mayor of London has a commitment to build social housing. In the post-Grenfell Tower environment the Prime Minister and the leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council have both called for the building of council housing. We call on Mayor Khan to submit a bid for the Holloway Prison site and provide a lasting legacy for Londoners.