News from the canal bank...

The annual Angel Canal Festival takes place on Sunday 1 September 11am–5pm. Plans include children’s entertainment, boat trips, music, theatre and comedy and anIslington Canal Heritage Exhibition which will transfer to Islington Museum next year.

There are plans for an East EndCanal Festival on 1 August 2020to celebrate the 200th anniversaryof the opening of the Regent’sCanal.

Storage sorrows

The Greater London Authorityhas reported on proposals to convert the one-storey Access Storagesite on the south side of the canal(opposite Arlington Square/Avenue) into a towering high-risebuilding. The report concludesthat the development should notproceed as currently proposed, butit does suggest that with alterations it may be approved.

It criticises the low proportion ofaffordable housing in the schemeand its impact on the adjacent conservation areas, including the Arlington Conservation Area. Itimplies that if the percentage ofaffordable housing was increasedand some other alterations made,then the benefit the developmentwould bring would outweigh theimpact on nearby conservationareas (us!) and would therefore beacceptable.

The site has been earmarked asa possible CrossRail2 ventilationshaft. We will continue to monitorany further developments.

Towpath vandalism

Meanwhile, on our side of the canal,there is still no sign of any newplanting beside the towpath behindthe Arlington Wharf development(left). This is the area where all thetrees and vegetation were removedlast year, in contravention of the developers’ lease with the Canaland River Trust, who insist thatthis strip must be replanted so thatit once again becomes a green spacefor all to enjoy.

Earlier this summer, concernedguerilla gardeners planted flowerseeds – but someone soon coveredthe soil with plastic sheeting anda layer of aggregate, leaving thisstretch of towpath sterile andempty of all greenery. We will keepyou updated.