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Final phase of Arsenal project gets go-ahead after extra time
Mark Blunden18 Mar 2009
THE final stage of Arsenal's £390million Emirates stadium regeneration scheme is to be completed after nine years of wrangling.
The last part of one of London's biggest such projects will include 729 homes, half of which will be affordable housing, plus a community sports centre, shops, bars and cafés.
But opponents claim the development of six towers up to 15 storeys high is "too tall, too big and too dense" with little green space or aesthetic merit.
They fear the influx of hundreds more residents into Holloway will strain transport and health services.
Islington council approved the scheme after a sports centre, written out of past plans, was included for a third attempt to persuade planners.
Campaigners secured about 3,000 signatures in support of the centre, including Boris Johnson, also a local resident, and actor and Arsenal fan Alan Davies.
Arsenal director Ken Friar said he was "delighted" the scheme will be completed.
He said: "As a result of building Emirates stadium, we have transformed over 60 acres of derelict land, delivered over 2,500 new homes and constructed a new waste recycling centre.
"We have created hundreds of new local jobs and business opportunities for local firms."
The site, on the former industrial estate Queensland Road, is next to the Emirates stadium.
Arsenal expect construction to begin this summer once the Mayor has given the go-ahead next week.
Opponents of the scheme claim the area is already too densely populated. Local Green councillor Katie Dawson said residents will be cooped up "like battery hens". She added: "It also doesn't hit renewable energy targets and is in excess of planning density guidelines."
Martin Jones, chairman of the Highbury Fields Association, is also concerned about the impact on Tube stations and GP surgeries.
He said: "This development is in an area that is already extremely dense. In every way, the development was selfishly approached both by Arsenal and Islington council."
But local campaigners supported the scheme after successful lobbying for a sports facility.
The 1,600-square metre Arsenal Sports Centre, including two indoor pitches and room for 75 spectators, will be available for community use. The club is looking for a developer for it.
Terry Stacy, deputy leader of Islington council, said: "The vocal and popular campaign by local residents, supported by the council, wanted the club to bring back the option of a community sports centre. It's taken longer than some of us would have liked but it is a great success."
The Emirates stadium project was first proposed in 2000.
It covers three main sites over 60 acres: the 60,355-capacity stadium, a new recycling centre at Cottage Road, the development of Queensland Road, plus several smaller housing projects close by.
More than 2,500 private and affordable homes have been built. The Emirates, which replaced the Highbury stadium, was built in Ashburton Grove on a former council tip by the firm Sir Robert McAlpine. More than £2million in materials and construction contracts were given to Islington businesses, generating 2,600 jobs. At one stage, it was said to be the largest regeneration project in western Europe.
