Affordable housing is at heart of draft plan for the future of Holloway Prison site

Islington Council has today (August 16) started consultation on a draft plan for the future of the Holloway Prison site, which includes an expectation that 50 per cent of any new housing on the site should be genuinely affordable.

Holloway Prison - formerly Europe’s largest women’s prison - closed last year. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to sell the site, which at more than four hectares is one of the largest development sites in central London.

Islington Council has drafted a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which sets out broadly the types of development that could be built on the site to meet relevant existing planning policies.

The document notes: “The site is considered to represent an important opportunity to meet the significant need for affordable homes in the borough – this is a key priority for the draft SPD."

Islington has a borough-wide affordable housing target of 50 per cent, and new developments are required to maximise the amount of genuinely affordable housing built.

The draft SPD adds that bidders for the site being sold by the MoJ must take into account planning requirements – including for affordable housing – when deciding how much money to bid.

As well as genuinely affordable housing, the draft SPD identifies a number of other key objectives, such as providing important community facilities, including a prison legacy project that could provide a range of services for women.

Cllr Diarmaid Ward, Islington Council’s executive member for housing and development, said: “We have started consultation on our plan for the future of the Holloway Prison site, and we welcome all comments.

“There is a dire shortage of affordable housing in London, and this publicly-owned site is a very important opportunity to build some of the genuinely affordable homes that Londoners so badly need.

“This is a large site which can provide a very significant amount of housing. We have tested a number of scenarios, which show that 50 per cent of homes can be secured as genuinely affordable housing.

“We believe providing high levels of genuinely affordable housing is not only possible but is the right thing for the future of Islington. This is people's chance to show they support that belief. We look forward to receiving responses to the draft SPD, which will be carefully considered and taken into account for the final version.”

To take part in the consultation please see www.islington.gov.uk/consultations

The council is running two open days at John Barnes temporary library, Camden Road, outside Pangbourne House, Rowstock Gardens, N7 0BD, on Thursday 7 September (5-7pm) and Saturday 9 September (11.30am-3pm). All are welcome.