Council Homes on the Holloway Prison Site

The Issue

We call on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to submit a bid to purchase the former Holloway prison site.

At least 400 council homes could be built on the 10 acres of publicly owned land at the vacant Holloway Prison site alongside community facilities, including a women's building. The local council (Islington) has a housing waiting list of 18,000. The Ministry of Justice is currently marketing the site (the closing date for bids is November 15th) and we fear it will be sold to private developers who will build homes for profit, with only a very small percentage of social rented homes. Islington Council and the local MP (Jeremy Corbyn) support the use of public land for public benefit, and the Mayor of London has a commitment to build social housing. In the post-Grenfell Tower environment the Prime Minister and the leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council have both called for the building of council housing. We call on Mayor Khan to submit a bid for the Holloway Prison site and provide a lasting legacy for Londoners.

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Islington Axe the Housing Act and Islington Trades CouncilPetition Starter
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This petition had 5,823 supporters

The Issue

We call on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to submit a bid to purchase the former Holloway prison site.

At least 400 council homes could be built on the 10 acres of publicly owned land at the vacant Holloway Prison site alongside community facilities, including a women's building. The local council (Islington) has a housing waiting list of 18,000. The Ministry of Justice is currently marketing the site (the closing date for bids is November 15th) and we fear it will be sold to private developers who will build homes for profit, with only a very small percentage of social rented homes. Islington Council and the local MP (Jeremy Corbyn) support the use of public land for public benefit, and the Mayor of London has a commitment to build social housing. In the post-Grenfell Tower environment the Prime Minister and the leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council have both called for the building of council housing. We call on Mayor Khan to submit a bid for the Holloway Prison site and provide a lasting legacy for Londoners.

avatar of the starter
Islington Axe the Housing Act and Islington Trades CouncilPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
Responded
“Dear Petitioner Thank you for the petition submitted on the change.org website about Holloway Prison. Like you, the Mayor wants more social housing in London. He sees the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) land at the vacant Holloway Prison site as a vital opportunity to build more affordable housing, as well as community facilities including a women’s centre. There are some sites where buying it is the main way the Mayor can influence what happens there. However, in the case of Holloway Prison, the Mayor is in a strong position to pursue his aims around affordable housing through the planning brief that the Greater London Authority (GLA) worked with Islington Council to produce. The draft brief sets a clear expectation that at least 50 per cent affordable housing, with the majority based on social rent levels, should be delivered on the site. The 50 per cent requirement is also in line with the Mayor’s broader expectations around public land, set out in policy including his draft London Plan. The draft brief also expects other benefits, such as the provision of a centre supporting women in the criminal justice system. To go further still, the Mayor has also offered to assist the MOJ with their selection of a bidder so that there can be as much certainty as possible that the right sort of homes will be delivered as quickly as possible. The Justice Secretary has not yet decided to take up the Mayor’s offer and to involve the GLA directly in assessing bids for the site, but he has confirmed that MOJ officials will consider carefully the number of homes, feasibility and deliverability of the proposals including how any scheme relates to affordable housing policy, when assessing the bids received. The GLA will keep in touch with the MOJ about this site to do all it can to ensure the best outcome for Londoners and make sure this site includes as much genuinely affordable housing as possible. Yours sincerely, Public Liaison Unit Greater London Authority”
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Petition created on 30 October 2017