Green light for major new investment in the environment in Islington Council’s budget

A series of significant environmental projects are laid out in a programme announced today (Wednesday 19 February) of new capital investment proposals for 2020-21 and beyond to help make Islington a fairer place.

Projects include:

Islington’s first Liveable Neighbourhood

• The council will work closely with local communities in the Mildmay and Highbury East area to create the borough’s first Liveable Neighbourhood
• Islington’s draft budget includes £1 million to fund the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme and work on the scheme is due to begin later this year
• The council will work with local people to co-design the scheme before a full public consultation
• This will improve road safety and air quality and give more priority to those who walk or cycle, children, young people and vulnerable road users
• It will aim to reduce through-traffic while still providing access to local residents and those who genuinely need it
• It will include measures such as road closures, protected cycle routes, better crossings and improved public spaces to remove barriers to walking and cycling
• There will be early engagement with local communities about how to improve local transport, public space and the environment
• The council is proposing to introduce Liveable Neighbourhoods for every residential area in the borough in the coming years

Fleet electrification

• Funding for a major electrification upgrade so the council’s fleet of 230 vehicles – including refuse and recycling vehicles, parks maintenance vans, street sweeping vehicles and school and social services minibuses – operating from the Waste and Recycling Centre in Cottage Road can be switched to electric
• The draft budget includes £1.5 million towards a new substation and high voltage National Grid connection at the Waste and Recycling Centre
• The upgrade would provide enough power for all 230 vehicles operating from the site – including 26-tonne Refuse Collection Vehicles – to be switched to electric

Other environment projects in the additional investment programme announced today include:

• Improvements to New River Walk in Canonbury, with funding of £450,000. The New River is an important corridor for biodiversity and the work will enhance the site for wildlife by improving the water quality, increasing aquatic planting, and making a better habitat for species such as dragonflies, frogs, newts and moorhens
• Investment in Islington’s parks, green spaces and adventure playgrounds, including £450,000 to repair and improve playground water features in Barnard Park, Highbury Fields and Whittington Park

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “We’re working to build a cleaner, greener future for everyone in Islington, and are committing serious money to major new environment projects in our borough.

“Islington’s first Liveable Neighbourhood will be closely designed with local communities to cut through-traffic, make it easier and safer to walk and cycle, and create a more pleasant environment with better air quality. 

“The funding for our fleet will help us to deliver an electrical revolution – even enabling electrification of our biggest recycling and refuse vehicles – to improve air quality and help us to cut carbon emissions.”

Other projects funded in the additional programme announced today include £130,000 to complete the refurbishment of Wray Crescent cricket pavilion and £490,000 to upgrade the council’s CCTV network.

Cllr Andy Hull, Islington Council’s executive member for finance, performance and community safety, said: “We’re determined to build a fairer Islington and our budget proposals prioritise the biggest issues facing the borough.

“Despite having had to make savings of almost £250 million over the last 10 years of continuing Government cuts to local councils, today’s announcement of extra funding for the environment, schools, parks, libraries and children’s centres shows we are investing in Islington’s future.”

The budget proposals can be read in full here in the papers for the Executive meeting on Thursday 27 February. The full programme of additional capital funding announced today is in Appendix F1.

The council’s budget will be set at full council on Thursday 27 February.