The future of Archway moved one step further forward this week when the results of Islington Council’s ‘Rethinking Archway’ consultation were presented to residents at the North Area Committee (5 July 2005).<br><br>The regeneration of the Archway area has long been a priority for both local residents and Islington Council and ideas for improving the area have been included in the council’s flagship regeneration initiative – the A1 Borough Strategy – which is currently out to consultation. <br><br>In March and April 2005 the council undertook a consultation exercise to seek preliminary views from people who live and work in the Archway area on a range of issues. The results of the consultation will be used to help inform the drawing up of a development framework for Archway. <br><br>The consultation focused on the activities that people want to see in the area, how improvements to the transport network might be achieved and the types of building that might be acceptable as part of a major redevelopment of the area. <br><br>The questionnaire responses show that there is overwhelming support for radical redevelopment of the Archway area.<br><br>· 94% of respondents said that Archway should be redeveloped<br>· 81% of respondents want to see the road system changed, with 65% of those respondents opting for a radical realignment of the road network<br><br>People are also keen to see improved public spaces as part of any redevelopment, and more varied retail opportunities – 63% of respondents expressed a desire to see more independent shops and a similar number wanted cafes, while only 38% wanted a supermarket. <br><br>Although an overwhelming majority disliked the Archway Tower (93%), there was no clear consensus on its replacement. <br><br>To take the development framework forward, the council is now looking to appoint a team of consultants to work with them and the local community over the next few months. Options for the Archway area will be drawn up for further consultation in the autumn. <br><br>Cllr Bridget Fox, executive member for sustainability, said: "Regeneration of Archway is long overdue - residents and the council are agreed on that.<br><br>Any proposals must be sympathetic to residents wishes for a new road system, improved public spaces and more shops.<br><br>There's an important opportunity here to make a lasting legacy for Islington and we are committed to making that happen."<br><br>The consultation report is available at www.islington.gov.uk
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009