Welcome to our consultation website for the Barnsbury Estate Transformation.
Barnsbury Estate Transformation
For the latest information on the proposals, please visit the ‘Consultation So Far’ page on this website.
As always, we’ll keep talking and listening to you. If you have any questions, please email BEST@newlon.org.uk.
New Barnsbury update
A government announcement in August 2023 proposed an introduction of additional safety regulations for new residential buildings which has meant we have had to put a hold on the estate transformation pending further information about the new requirements.
The regulations will bring in a key change that requires the inclusion of an additional staircase in the design of buildings over seven storeys. This will apply to most of the new buildings on the estate and therefore will require a change to the planning approval we received in March 23. Introducing a second staircase to the buildings will affect the number and/or size of homes we can build and we will be liaising with Islington planners to see how we can best achieve the changes once the government issue the guidance about the new regulations.
There are transitional arrangements that permit schemes with planning permission to proceed under the existing permission so we are exploring the possibility of starting Phase 1a to minimise the delay to the whole development.
We hope to be able to provide an update early next year. In the meantime more details can be found in our recent letter.
Old Barnsbury update
We hope you all had a nice Christmas and we wish you a happy new year.
As you may recall from our last update, we informed you about the estate-wide drainage improvement works and we are now pleased to announce that this is nearing completion. Thank you for your patience whilst these works have been carried out.
Additional repairs have been identified, and the contractor will continue working on these into January. We will notify you in advance of any works which may cause temporary interruptions to services.
While carrying out these works the contractor has found significant evidence of drains being blocked by household waste. If things like food, fats, grease and wet wipes are flushed down the drain they are very likely to cause blockages. Please avoid doing this for the benefit of everyone.Thames Water’s ‘Bin it – don’t block it’ campaign has some really useful advice about the best ways to dispose of our waste.
Fisher House kitchen and bathroom improvements
We are very pleased to announce that TMN Contractors Ltd have been appointed to carry out Fisher House kitchen and bathroom improvements. These works will include the modernisation of kitchen cabinets, worktops, and bathrooms, the installation of new sanitary ware, taps and electrical rewiring.
A ‘Meet the contractor’ event will take place at the Community Centre, on Thursday 30th January, 4pm – 6pm where Fisher House residents will be able to see samples, ask questions and make choices.
Other works and improvements
Solid core doors will be installed at Fisher House flat entrances.
A series of workshops will also be held soon to share some of the estate-wide planned landscape improvements to create more functional and attractive outdoor spaces. The workshops will give you the opportunity to have your say about the final plans before they are submitted to Islington Council for final approval.
Your participation is vital in making this project a success.
If you are unable to attend any sessions or have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch by emailing us at best@newlon.org.uk
or calling us on
020 3234 2221.
About the Barnsbury Estate
The Barnsbury Estate is owned by Newlon Housing Trust, a not-for-profit social housing company, who took over management of the Estate from Islington Council in 1999.
The Estate is made up of two areas; Old Barnsbury is the red brick housing blocks between Charlotte Terrace and Barnsbury Road built in the 1930s and New Barnsbury is between Caledonian Road and Charlotte Terrace, which was built in the 1950s and 70s.
Illustration of what the Barnsbury Estate could look like on completion