London Mayor wants to double the number of new homes built in Islington

12.00.00am GMT Tue 17th Feb 2004

Islington will be forced to build 18,000 new homes under plans announced last week by the London Mayor. This is double the amount that Lib Dem Islington Council had previously planned. Islington has been given one of the highest targets for new homes in London when compared to its size and the relative lack of vacant or disused land in Islington. Even larger outer London boroughs such as Croydon and Barnet have been given lower targets. Liberal Democrats are worried that there will not be enough space in Islington for this number of homes and that the plans will put Islington's precious green space under threat. Councillor Bridget Fox, Lib Dem Executive Member for Sustainability, said: "We all know more homes are needed - that's why we have planned for 9,000 more. But the numbers must be realistic. Islington is already a very densely populated borough and there simply isn't enough room for this many new homes. It's quite wrong that the Mayor is forcing most of the development into already crowded inner London boroughs. "Islington faces a real problem trying to meet the Mayor's unrealistic target. The new Arsenal development will ensure we meet the target so far but where does the Mayor suggest building 18,000 new homes in Islington? On Highbury Fields?" Councillor Terry Stacy, local Lib Dem candidate for the Greater London Assembly adds: "More homes means more pressure on local services, from the water supply to local hospitals. Islington already has a severe shortage of GPs and our buses are among the most overcrowded in London. The Mayor should concentrate on improving London's basic services before dictating how many new homes Islington builds. "New homes will mean even more pressure on Islington's already overloaded transport system. It's time for the Mayor to force his Labour Government to give the final go-ahead to vital new transport projects like Crossrail and the East London Line Extension to help Islington. At this rate we'll all be pensioners before these projects become a reality!" Facts 1. Lib Dem Islington Council has its own development plan (the Unitary Development Plan) which has already been agreed by the government. This set a target of 9,000 new homes. This will be replaced by the Mayor's new 'London Plan' that sets a target for Islington of 18,000 homes over 20 years or 900 per year.