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Islington Council have confirmed plans to withdraw a controversial proposal to redevelop Finsbury Leisure Centre. The new scheme would have resulted in the replacement of the site’s popular existing community football pitches with smaller pitches on the roof of a new building. Local campaign group EC1VOICES have opposed the scheme for a number of years.
In a recent press release Cllr Una O’Halloran, Leader of Islington Council, stated:
“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.”
The withdrawal of the proposal follows on from the Council recently conceding a prospective judicial review of its in-principle decision to appropriate the land for planning purposes without disclosing relevant information. EC1VOICES argued that the Council had acted unlawfully by withholding a Rights of Light report from the public, which fell to be disclosed under local government transparency rules contained in s.100B of the Local Government Act 1972 read with paragraphs 9-10 of Schedule 12A.
Following EC1VOICES’ prospective legal challenge, the Council disclosed the report and agreed to withdraw its in-principle decision to appropriate the land. The withdrawal of the entire scheme was announced shortly afterwards.
Alex Shattock assisted EC1VOICES with their planning objections and legal challenge, instructed by Harriet Child at the Public Interest Law Centre.
