Finsbury Leisure Centre site plans set to be withdrawn to protect open spaces

Subject to approval by the council’s Executive on Thursday, plans to build around 200 homes alongside a new leisure centre and medical centre will be withdrawn amid significant economic uncertainty, and after hearing the concerns of local people.  

Instead, the council would invest to modernise the existing leisure centre, protect and improve the sports pitches – making them more accessible and inclusive to maximise their use – consider a new neighbourhood health hub, and seek to build more genuinely affordable housing elsewhere in the borough. 

Over the last few years, major projects across London have faced rocketing construction costs such as more expensive materials, new fire safety regulations and an unstable housing market. Recent increases in inflation, supply chain disruption and global trade tariffs meant the project faced significantly increased risk.

Cllr Una O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council, said: “It’s no secret that councils across the country are facing significant financial challenges, and while Islington is on a strong financial footing, I’m not prepared to put this in jeopardy by pressing ahead with a project facing increasing risks from fast-changing global forces beyond our control.  

“This was not an easy decision. Since I became Leader in November, I have spent a lot of time visiting the site, listening to local people and considering the risks this project faced, and I have decided that there are different ways to build the genuinely affordable homes our borough needs while protecting these open spaces.

“I’d like to thank everyone who gave up their time to help shape these plans over the last two years – and our investment in the existing leisure facilities and local area will continue to be shaped by the feedback and ideas we have received.  

“We know that our plans to build on the football pitches were a controversial part of this project, and I want to be clear that these will now be protected from this development and improved for more people to use.

“Our commitment to building new genuinely affordable social housing remains undimmed, and we will look at alternative sites already in the early stages of development across the borough to deliver the new homes so many families need.”

If the proposals are agreed by the Executive, the planning application for the project will be withdrawn and the council will take time to develop alternative options for investing in existing facilities.