News

Latest coverage of Plan for Holloway

Last week, housing campaigner Glyn Robbins and Peabody Chief Executive Brendan Sarsfield responded in the Islington Tribune to growing concerns that Peabody won't be held to account on their Holloway prison site promises. 

Robbins is concerned that the site, which could have been kept in public ownership for council homes, is now in the hands of a private company and unaccountable to the Community Plan for Holloway campaign. In light of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan's track record on housing policies, Robbins calls...

7 May 2019
News

Plan for Holloway latest update

On Saturday 30th March around 60 local people gathered at St George’s Church in Tufnell Park for an emergency meeting to discuss the announcement that Peabody housing association had bought the Holloway prison site and would be developing it in partnership with private property developer London Square.

For a full report on the proceedings, go to the Community Plan for Holloway campaign site. 

23 April 2019
News

Plan for Holloway: Emergency meeting on Saturday 30 March!

Housing association Peabody has bought the Holloway site. Peabody will be developing the land in partnership with private property developer London Square and plan to build 1,000 homes there.

We’re holding an emergency meeting on Saturday 30 March between 2PM and 4PM at St George’s Church, Crayford Road, Tufnell Park, N7 0ND for local people to come and discuss how to make sure the community is at the heart of the Peabody development...

27 March 2019
News

Peabody to buy Holloway prison site

The Ministry of Justice has sold the Holloway Prison site in North London to housing association Peabody, the Islington Gazette reports.

1,000 new homes are planned for the site, and 60 per cent will be genuinely affordable, meaning they will be available at social rent, for shared ownership, or the Mayor of London's living rent. Over 400 of the homes will be for social rent. A women's centre and public green space will also be...

8 March 2019
News

Holloway prison update

The private developer that owns the Territorial Army site next to Holloway prison is now stating they can offer only 30 per cent of their development for affordable housing, reports the Islington Tribune.

This is despite the 50 per cent minimum set by Islington Council.

Islington Council and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government won a landmark case last year against the developer which was trying to override the council’s affordable housing requirements in residential...

25 January 2019
Comment

Holloway: if it ain't worth much, don't sell it

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart has made another candid admission about the market for closed prison sites during questioning by the Justice Committee in mid-December. He said that 'in the best-case...

11 January 2019
News

It's been two years. What next for Community Plan for Holloway?

On Tuesday, we held the two-year anniversary event for the Community Plan for Holloway.

The meeting brought together 150 people from the local community to discuss the victories so far and future plans. 

The speakers were:

  • Will McMahon - Community Plan for Holloway 
  • Steve Fox - Manalo and White architects
  • Andy Bain - Islington Homes for All
  • ...
23 November 2018
News

Holloway sale faces further delay

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 Ministry of Justice event last week.

The prison closed over two years ago and the land has been sitting empty ever since, despite having the capacity to...

12 November 2018
News

Centre's analyst gives talk to planning students

On Monday and Wednesday our Research Analyst, Matt Ford, was at the Hilldrop Community Centre in Islington giving talks about our Community Plan for Holloway project to University College London (UCL) students on the Urban Design and City Planning Masters course.

The days were organised by Omar Sherif, one of the planners we have been working closely with as part of the project. He has coordinated a unit on the Holloway site at UCL. 

Up to 40 people attended each event and asked interesting questions about the site. The next step for the students...

12 November 2018
News

Landmark ruling in Islington: What does it mean?

The 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.

The announcement comes in response to an open letter by Diarmaid...

7 November 2018
Publication

Unlocking Holloway for the Community

This Community Plan for Holloway publication articulates the vision that local people in Islington have of the kind of development they would like to see on the former site of Holloway prison.

5 March 2018
Publication

Holloway prison: Community perspectives

This report outlines the findings of a three month long community engagement exercise which aimed to find out what local people in Islington would like to see on the former site of Holloway prison, which closed down in mid-2016. 

4 October 2017