Islington residents are objecting to the council’s plan to remove the parking bays near the Market Road football pitches.
Islington residents have launched a petition opposing the council’s plan to redevelop Market Road.
The petition, started by Jo Sargent, Chair and Treasurer of Camden and Islington Youth Football League, aims to stop Islington Council from removing more than half of the parking bays near the Market Road football pitches.
The council says the developments will make the area “safer” and “healthier” as parking spaces will be replaced with wider cycle paths and green spaces.
Ms Sargent, who has chaired the football league for the past ten years, said: “The council are finding a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. There’s nothing I’ve read that says this is a terrible hotspot for accidents and cyclists getting knocked off their bikes.”
She added that without enough parking bays, many children would stop playing in the Camden and Islington Youth Football League, which has been running for 58 years.
“We have close to 3,000 children registered to play in our league,” she said, many of whom cannot access the pitches easily by public transport or by bike.
“My three sons all played in the league, and I wouldn’t have been able to get them there without a car – it’s just not feasible,” she added.
Ms Sargent questioned the council’s decision to encourage “active travel” like cycling by making “activity for children” less accessible.
She also said the changes would make the road more dangerous for children who would have to walk long distances to the pitches in the dark.
The petition currently has 325 signatories, including Martin Lucas, who urged his neighbours on NextDoor to “recognise the benefits of local sport in the community”.
There is some support for the redevelopment. Haggerston resident James said: “I think it’s great that the council are prioritising people over cars. The changes should make the area safer as well as a more pleasant place to spend time in.”
Islington Council has asked residents to share their views on the “Market Road Improvements” via a survey to be completed by Sunday 8 March, but Ms Sargent said she doubts the council will listen to their objections.
If the council goes ahead with the developments, Market Road will be under construction from 2027.
Isabella Steinmeyer is a Newspaper Journalism MA student at City St George's University. She was previously Deputy Editor of Varsity, Cambridge's student newspaper.