Enforcement action underway against multiple bedsits and over-crammed flats on Caledonian Road
The Prince pub at 342 Caledonian Road is run by lifelong Cally resident Eileen Christie but Mr Panayi owns the building and there’s a problem with bedsit residents and noise
“Build first, ask for permission later” is the startling phrase uttered by Andrew Panayi, the man who owns a large part of the privately rented flats on the Caledonian Rd. His admission was made in a remarkable interview screened last night on the BBC programme “The Secret History of Our Streets: Caledonian Road”.
In response to Mr Panayi’s claims, Islington Council has revealed that planning enforcement and environmental health action is underway on several of his properties. Indeed the Council has successfully prosecuted Mr Panayi for persistent breaches. Later in the TV programme, Mr Panayi concedes that he’s been more compliant with planning requirements “in the past 4 years”.
Over the last quarter of a century, Mr Panayi has built a small property empire by buying-up run-down shops located in the area between Richmond Avenue and Pentonville Prison. He probably owns around a third of all the commercial properties on this part of Caledonian Road – and his portfolio includes two of the three public houses – the Prince and the Tarmon.
He has made his fortune by maximising the amount of residential accommodation above, behind and even below these shops. Many of the shops are unlet because, for Andrew, the real money is in the bedsits or shared flats he can rent-out on short lets. A favoured letting agent is Alpha Accomodation at 376 Caledonian Rd who specialise in attracting highly mobile young tenants who – as the lettings agent himself admits in the TV programme – aren’t likely to complain.
These tenants are overwhelmingly young people visiting London for just a few months whilst working or studying. The residents of these flats and bedsits are therefore highly mobile and the lettings turn-over is very high indeed. This makes the Cally Road feel very transient and weakens the feeling of community. People who have lived in the area for a long time feel “their place” is being undermined by this high turnover population. The quality of accommodation these tenants live-in is very poor and, although they may not complain, understandably most of them do not stay long.
Cllr Paul Convery comments “Andrew Panayi is well known on the Cally and is a likeable, larger than life character. But some of his business practices are distinctly suspect – as he himself admits in the TV programme. And he is wrong to think he can get away with this. The Council is currently taking enforcement action on a number of properties he has built recently. Recently we opposed a particularly large development to construct another floor of bedsits above the Co-op and the planning permission was refused.
Over the last 10 years or so, it is clear that the Council’s planners simply did not have the determination to challenge and enforce against these sorts of planning breaches. Nor did they get the signal from the Town Hall or elected local politicians to do so. However, the current Caledonian Councillors and the Town Hall leadership does have the political will to bring enforcement action.”
To view the programme on BBC iPlayer go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01k6k3m/The_Secret_History_of_Our_Streets_Caledonian_Road/
Bemerton estate hosts ‘fantastic’ Jubilee party
Bemerton residents celebrate in the estate’s Community Centre
Three hundred Bemerton residents packed the estate’s Jean Stokes Hall to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee on Sunday afternoon.
The “street party” planned for Carnoustie Drive was quickly shifted into the community centre after rain was forecast for Sunday afternoon. This was a smart move because the rain arrived just as the party began.
Organised and part-funded by BVMO, the estate’s tenant management organisation, the party was also financially supported by the Caledonian Councillors’ Local Initiative Fund.
Daniel Dresner, chair of the BVMO Board said:
“We had a fantastic party with about 300 or so people making it standing room only! We brought inside the hired tables and chairs and the bunting and food.
“We had an amazing amount of help from the Soul In the City people who are one of the most commendable groups I have worked with in a long time. They even went door to door and brought elderly people out of their flats to the event.
“It is just these kinds of events that give us huge encouragement that what we are doing is worth it. Hundreds of happy residents, the vast majority of whom had never even met each other, celebrating something that will be remembered for a long time to come.”
A selection of photographs from the party will be published here shortly.
ASBO bans 16 year old boy from Bemerton estate
Teenagers from different parts of the Borough have recently begun to congregate on the Bemerton estate
A prolific offender in the Caledonian area has been served with a two year Anti Social Behaviour Order.
The 16 year old boy regularly subjected local residents to abuse and various levels of anti social behaviour.
Caledonian Safer Neighbourhoods team with co-operation from Islington Council’s anti-social behaviour team was able to secure an ASBO banning him from entering the Bemerton Estate for the next two years.
Police Constable Rowena Dark from Caledonian Safer Neighbourhoods team said: “We are very happy with this result; this young man has been involved in various levels of criminality. I hope that this ASBO brings some peace to the residents in the Bemerton Estate who have tolerated his unacceptable behaviour for so long.”
Cllr Paul Convery added “Securing this ASBO was only made possible by the co-operation and support of residents on the Bemerton estate. With the police, Islington Council is determined to stamp-out anti-social behaviour and criminality. There is an emerging problem in our area with a new generation of young people getting drawn into anti-social behaviour. We will take action against the worst offenders and do our best to pursuade parents and others to keep their kids on the right track”
Defeating crime and anti-social behaviour is the main topic at the next Team Cally Ward Partnership public meeting on 23rd May at 7pm in the Jean Stokes Community Centre on the Bemerton Estate.
Bill Millett honoured in Islington Mayor’s civic awards
Bill pictured after receiving his award from the Mayor of Islington, Cllr Phil Kelly on March 15th
Cally Councillors were delighted to successfully nominate Bill Millett for one of the Mayor’s civic awards at a Town Hall ceremony on Thursday evening.
Bill is a fine example of great public and community service. He served in the Navy during World War II and spent his career working for Metropolitan Water Board. In 1974, Bill was the first person to get his keys and move into the Westbourne Estate, where he has lived ever since.
When he retired, Bill worked tirelessly as Chair of the Westbourne Tenants and Residents Association for many years, as well as chairing the Housing Panel, the Safer Neighbourhood Panel, being a leading member of the Islington Veterans Association and the Sea Cadets, and is still the chair of the Westbourne Community Centre Board.
As chair of the Safer Neighbourhood Panel, Bill took his role very seriously, and would patrol the Westbourne at 1am with a torch, making sure the estate was safe.
Cllr Charlynne Pullen said “I met Bill first at the Westbourne Community Centre because he runs my surgery. At our councillor induction, someone mentioned ‘council protection’ could come and help with our surgeries. Well every month, Bill sets out the sign, arranges the forms, shepherds people in to see me, and works as the protection at my surgery.”
“Bill’s had a difficult year, and although he’s already got an MBE, I hope this shows Bill how grateful we are for all that he has done and all he has yet to do, and how much of a difference he has made to Islington and the Westbourne in particular.
So thank you to Bill, an inspiring example of public and community service, and a true Westbourne legend.”
£1 million to cut accidents and make the Cally Road safer
Plan for the new zebra crossing next to the Iceland supermarket
A new zebra crossing is one of several road safety measures to be implemented on the Caledonian Road over the coming months as Islington Council puts investment into cutting accidents in our neighbourhood. Alongside a new 20mph limit on all of Caledonian Road, the Council is also going to remodel several accident blackspots.
Within two years, the one-way section of Caledonian Road will be returned to two-way traffic as the full £1 million investment programme kicks-in. We hope this will kick-start a process to remove the entire one-way system around Kings Cross of which Caledonian Road is a small part.
The new zebra crossing on Caledonian Rd will be next to Iceland by the Bingfield Street junction. Other measures will include slowing down traffic as it approaches Thornhill bridge (over the canal) and remodelling the junctions of Copenhagen Street and Offord Road to “improve vehicle discipline”.
The investment comes after Islington’s Labour Council decided to concentrate its road safety capital budget into areas that really need it. These are places with high population densities, low car ownership, a history of accidents and which were denied significant investment during the decade when the Lib Dems controlled the Council.
Changes to the Thornhill Bridge approach whcih will slow-down traffic at this accident blackspot
The pictures to the right illustrate the position for a new Zebra Crossing and a diagram for one of the road improvements.
Cllr Paul Convery comments “We badly need to make Caledonian Road a place that is safer for pedestrians and cyclists. We also need to boost the ‘high street’ between the canal and the railway bridge – so adding a further zebra crossing will help improve trade on the street. Put simply, the more opportunities for people to cross the road safely, the better it will be for businesses on the Cally.
“Next year we will also be removing the one-way system south of Wharfedale Road which is a shocking section of highway, effectively 3 lanes wide down which vehicles routinely accelerate to alarming speeds. Two-way traffic will calm this down and make the road a bit more manageable. This is also an early move towards Islington Council’s goal of removing the entire one-way system around Kings Cross. Most of the Kings Cross gyratory is managed by Transport for London (the agency controlled by the Tory Mayor of London). We intend to make a head start by fixing one of the roads that Islington is responsible for.”
Time to sort out the dog mess problem in Cally ward
Dog dirt warning flag ... just feet away from children's play area in Arundel Square
Cally Councillors have identified some of the worst areas for dog shit in the ward and are pressing for firm action to penalise anti-social dog owners. The newly completed park at Arundel Square has been one of the first places to test-out £80 on-the-spot fines after mounting pressure from residents in the neighbourhood around this brand new park which has become blighted by dog shit.
Anti-social dog owners have already been hit recently with on-the-spot fines handed out by uniformed officers in the Council’s Parkguard service. The Council’s park staff have also been putting early warning flags in grass where dogs have left mess – ahead of cleansing staff removing it altogether.
Cally Councillors are calling for a new swoop against owners of dogs who cause hell for everyone else. During the past year, scores of residents have reported a definite increase in the problem. We have asked residents to help us identify some of the worst areas in Caledonian Ward so that officers can be deployed to catch or deter offenders. So far, the worst spots named are:
- Copenhagen Street
- Havelock Street
- Bemerton Street
- Pembroke Street (west side pavements and grassed area)
- Carnoustie Drive (west side alongside the approach to Children’s Centre)
- Bingfield Park (alongside the paths in the park)
- Arundel Square (inside the park)
- Grassed area by the Westbourne Community Centre near Vulcan Way
Please send your comments on places that need patrolling to catch offenders by commenting below or by sending email to callylabourcouncillors@gmail.com
Islington Council shuts-down Kings Cross sex shop
The shop is now closed, the signs are removed and the interior has been refitted for normal trade
The last unlicensed sex shop in Kings Cross has been closed down after prosecution by Islington Council. On 19th January, Highbury Magistrates Court handed down a sentence to shop operator, David Darbo, ordering him to pay almost £5,000 in fines and costs.
The verdict was delivered after Islington Council had raided DJD Retail Ltd in May 2011. The shop trading as “Pirate Books” was at 4 York Way. The Council seized almost 400 tapes and DVDs of which all except one was rated as “unclassified” by the British Board of Film Classification. The shop’s operator had previously been visited and was told to obtain a license and to comply with provisions in the Video Recordings Act 2010. This did not happen.
Cllr Paul Convery added “As a result of our Council’s tough enforcement action, the shop has now closed. There are no longer any unlicensed sex shops in Kings Cross or anywhere else in Islington. Despite this we need to remain vigilant. Many other forms of sleaze and vice persist in our neighbourhood and we must act against them too”.
Even mounted officers have been drafted-in to patrol the neighbourhood
Scores of police officers have been patrolling Caledonian Road since early December as part of an operation to clampdown on anti-social behaviour, gang-related activity and to stop the recent spate of smartphone-related snatch robberies and assaults.
As a result, the Cally Road, Bemerton and adjoining estates have seen a sharp decline in the number of youths (usually from outside the area) loitering and causing trouble.
The Borough’s police say the special operation – which will continue for several more weeks – is designed to “overwhelm suspected criminals on target days by disrupting, deterring and detaining those involved.”
The police are employing a number of tactics using officers on pedal cycles, motorcycles, foot patrol and marked police vehicles. Some officers have also been equipped with a handheld screening devices that detect electronic tags in bicycle frames to establish if a cycle has been stolen.
As a direct result of the operation, arrests have been made for a variety of offences including handling stolen goods, drug related offences, offensive weapons and money laundering. The police have also undertaken dozens of stop and searches on suspects believed to be involved in this sort of activity.
Councillor Paul Convery said “The dramatic increase in police presence has made a real improvement in the area over the past month and public reaction has been very positive indeed. One afternoon recently, I watched as one well-known teenager being arrested on the street as part of this operation. Whilst he was being searched by the arresting officers, other police had to restrain his mother who vehemently protested his innocence. Arrested for handling stolen goods he was also found to be in possession of Class B drugs concealed in his underwear. This teenager is no longer causing trouble on the Cally.”
First steps to remove the hated Kings Cross one-way system
GLA member Jennette Arnold and Cllr Paul Convery at the danger junction
Transport for London has caved-in to intense pressure and agreed to take the first steps to remove the “gyratory” roads that blight Kings Cross. The concession follows a top-level meeting where Islington’s City Hall representative Jennette Arnold and Cllr Paul Convery pressed the case for short-term safety measures and long-term removal of the one-way system.
TfL has now announced they are “looking at options for radical change up to and including removal (and) discussions are commencing with Islington and Camden to scope out and undertake such a review in the New Year.” Representatives from the two Boroughs are expected to meet TfL officials on January 12th.
Widespread public concern about pedestrian and cycle safety at Kings Cross reached a peak following the tragic death of Min Joo Lee on October 3rd at the junction of Grays Inn Rd and Euston Rd/Pentonville Rd. Because TfL had been warned of the dangers at this junction, campaigners and local politicians have called for a corporate manslaughter investigation against TfL.
The key cross-party meeting on November 25th was convened by Jenette Arnold (Labour) and attended by City Hall representatives Val Shawcross (Labour), Jenny Jones (Green) and Mike Tuffrey (Lib Dem). TfL have plans to restructure the Grays Inn Rd junction in time for the 2012 Olympic Games to deal with increased pedestrian footfall during the Games. But the officials agreed to look again at the plan to consider greater safety and enforcement measures particularly for cyclists at the Grays Inn Road approach.
The Kings Cross one-way system actually consists of two separate gyratories: a northern triangle – York Way, Wharfedale Rd, Caledonian Rd; and a southern section – Pentonville Rd, Penton Rise, Kings Cross Rd, Swinton Street/Acton Street and Grays Inn Rd. Around this road system are a number of very dangerous junctions and crossing points.
TfL has now conceded that, following from the extensive debate about cycle deaths around the one-way system, the entire road system needs to be reviewed.
Local Councillor Paul Convery who is also Islington’s Executive Member for transport says “I am delighted that pressure has made TfL change its position so fundamentally. It is bizarre that only a fortnight ago, London Mayor Boris Johnson, told the London Assembly in a debate about London’s worst 10 spots for road deaths that it was “not feasible to remove the one-way system” at Kings Cross. Well, his own transport agency has now acknowledged that it could indeed be feasible … but no-one has yet thought how to do it. This latest announcement starts the process of figuring this out. It is the start of a long struggle but at least it’s a start.”
Thornhill Square’s park keeper retires after almost 40 years
Bride Young, seated centre, is given a special send-off by local residents and Islington Council staff following 37 years of service in the borough
Bride Young, park keeper at Thornhill Square, has now retired after almost 40 years working with Islington Council.
She says she will greatly miss the job and, in turn, she will be missed by all the children and adults who love Thornhill Square. She was bid a fond farewell by colleagues and local residents on her final day, October 30th.
Bride said the biggest change she’d seen over her time in Islington was the improvement in children’s play equipment. She added: “I’ve really enjoyed the job and the interaction it has brought with children and local residents.”
As well as her friendliness, Bride could be tough when the job required, including tackling anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Paul Smith, Islington Council’s executive member for environment, said: “For many years Bride has been out in all weathers to serve the people of Islington. Bride is a shining example of the hard work that keeps Islington’s parks in good shape for our residents and I wish her all the best for her well-earned retirement.”
Labour Councillors representing the Cally neighbourhood in Islington 