An independent butcher who has served Islington for over a century will shut on Friday 9 March, following a controversial planning decision.
Maurice Wood, 69, has said he is closing E.Wood Butchers for good because of his safety fears over an electrical substation that is due to be erected behind his shop.
Mr Wood, who lives in a flat above the shop on Barnsbury Road, said: “I have been forced to close. I can’t live here with the electrical substation that close, I don’t fancy living with that monster in the garden.”
“It could have been refused by the council; they say it is one of the smaller stations, but it looks pretty big to me,” he added.
Mr Wood is concerned that the station’s magnetic field will pose a health risk to him and his customers.
Despite the council’s assurances that the site will be safe, Mr Wood is unconvinced.
A petition late last year attracted 300 signatures against the proposal. The substation is part of a private and social housing development planned for the adjacent Liverpool Road.
Mr Wood said plans for the substation have undergone drastic changes, “According to the original planning application, we were supposed to be left with a nice green spot”.
He described his supporters as “smashing” after an additional petition to save the butchers amassed 641 signatures, “I’ve had hundreds of letters,” said Mr Wood.
The family business was established in 1909 by Mr Wood’s grandfather. Maurice Wood has lived in the flat above the shop since he moved in with his father in 1952.
Julian Sabetian, who works in a cycle shop next door to E. Wood, said: “He’s been talking about closing for a long time, but I think it’s a shame. Local businesses are not legislated-for properly.”
Councillor Wally Burgess, a member of Islington Council’s planning committee, said that there was no choice but to approve the plans because the new housing needed to be provided with electricity.
Cllr Burgess said: “In practise, I think it was probably the least unacceptable decision to make.”
