Working class families will be “discriminated” against in a new housing development, a resident has warned.
Marcus Gibson, 66, says that plans for 1,800 new homes behind the O2 Centre will be a “true disaster” for residents in the area due to its proposed car-free policy.
Conditional approval for detailed and outline applications for the development behind the Finchley Road shopping centre was given on March 30.
Alongside the new homes, plans for the site include a new town square with shops and restaurants, as well as a gym and a cinema. A “tree-lined” park will also connect Finchley Road to West Hampstead.
But Mr Gibson argues there is one overwhelming issue with the plans - the fact that it replaces the current car park and fails to offer appropriate parking spaces.
The former business reporter said: “The decision to ban future tenants of the O2 skyscraper district from having cars and service vehicles is the most blatant act of discrimination against the working class since World War Two.”
He said: “The no-car policy is a disgraceful, deliberately discriminatory weapon designed to minimise, isolate and eventually eliminate remaining Camden tenants who require a car – imposed by sanctimonious, middle-class officials with no sense of duty to Britain’s hardest working and least well-off communities – and who may have never done a physical day of work in their lives.”
The journalist, who has worked for multiple papers, says families with working class occupations such as plumbers, electricians, teachers and nurses, will have difficulty parking and using their vehicles in the area.
Cllr Danny Beales, the cabinet member for new homes, has claimed that more than 70 per cent of households in Camden don’t own a car, most of whom are working class households.
But Mr Gibson argues if that is the case, it is likely because working class families have been “pushed out” by “ridiculous parking restrictions which Camden have imposed in the last 14 years.”
Mr Gibson added that those who live in the flats will look to park their cars in surrounding streets, but pointed out many of these are “completely full” with vehicles of residents, shoppers and weekend visitors.
The site of the development is currently taken up by a car park, shopping centre, Homebase, two car showrooms and a builders merchant's yard.
Cllr Beales said: “The O2 development will mean there are hundreds of genuinely affordable new homes built in the area – giving the opportunity for more working-class families to live and stay in the community.
“As families are increasingly being priced out of London, this is vital in addressing the housing crisis. Camden is committed to delivering as many new affordable homes as we can.
“Car-free policies mean that newly built housing reduces impacts on local roads and air pollution. This is often one of the major concerns raised when new homes are proposed.
“Families with disabilities are however always exempt from ‘car-free’ policies, so those with blue badges will be able to continue to park."
Developer Landsec, which is leading the design for the new homes, clarified that a car-free development is a “very clear planning policy requirement” set by Camden Council.
A spokesperson said: “By transforming a grey car park and shopping centre at risk of decline into a high-quality, green and inclusive place for the whole community we think this development can have a really positive impact, especially as it is such a well-connected place, surrounded by four stations, lots of bus stops and cycle routes.”
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