Residents’ group The Islington Society has publicly opposed a planned rebuild of the New Barnsbury Estate, citing population density and loss of green spaces.
The New Barnsbury rebuild is set to demolish the existing estate and build 950 homes in its place, a 156% increase from the current number of 371.
The Islington Society said in a post on its website that the proposed population density of the building would become “excessive in terms of resulting conditions for residents”.
The group argues that the amount of green space per resident will be reduced to a third of what it currently is, whilst developers had claimed that green space would not be reduced in absolute terms.
James Dunnet, the author of the piece, said one of his main oppositions is the trade-off between density and the loss of green space.
He said: “If you’re reducing the livability of your existing housing, you’re not generating more livable housing.”
The new build would accommodate 350 residents per acre, a 52% increase from 230 residents per acre currently.
Mr Dunnett said this change would “depart from the character of the estate”.
He proposed that rather than increasing density in the central London estates, more should be done to build in outer areas, with land that has not been built on.
