Clerkenwell’s Labour Councillors today celebrated victory in their campaign to safeguard community facilities at Charles Rowan House on Margery Street.
In March, in response to the concerns of local residents that new housing in the building could impact on the local community facilities – local Labour Councillors Steph Charalambous and Raphael Andrews began looking for ways to maintain and improve community facilities at Charles Rowan House.
Through this investigation Cllr Charalambous and Cllr Andrews re-discovered the large unused basement at Charles Rowan, and campaigned to get funding from the Council to redevelop it. This campaign has now succeeded as the Cllrs were able to secure funding from the Labour Council’s Ward Improvement Plans budget – which targets money for local needs.
Cllr Steph Charalambous said:
“Charles Rowan House has always belonged to the community, since it was first built in the 1920s to house Metropolitan Police families.
The new community room in the refurbished basement will provide much more space for residents that the abandoned flat already in use. This will allow residents and community groups to continue with, and expand their activities such as their gardening projects.”
Cllr Raphael Andrews said:
“We’ve listened to residents and we are on their side. I’m delighted that the Labour Council have agreed to fund our plans to not only maintain, but improve community facilities at Charles Rowan House.
Refurbishing the basement will benefit the flats above it by ensuring that the building is structurally safe, and it will create more storage facilities for the use of the caretaker.”
Notes
- For more information please contact Islington Labour by email – info@islington-labour.org.uk or by phone 020 7607 8373.
- The funding for the Charles Rowan House Community Room was approved by the Islington Council Executive on Tuesday 5 July after it was included in the Ward Improvement proposals brought forward by Clerkenwell’s Labour Cllrs
