Football legend Les Ferdinand has joined the battle to save four football pitches in Islington after plans were revealed to turn the site into high-rise flats.
A row has broken out over proposals by Islington Council to demolish the pitches at Finsbury Leisure Centre and build three towers, the tallest of which could reach up to 20 storeys.
A modern purpose-built NHS GP practice is also included in the plans alongside four rooftop football pitches, but critics say replacing the existing pitches with smaller rooftop facilities is “inadequate and inaccessible for the wider community”.
Ferdinand, who played for QPR, Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle, will join a protest against the plans led by grassroots campaign group, EC1VOICES, on Wednesday.
“When I was a child, I was part of a gang,” he said, “but luckily [for me], this was a football gang. Instead of searching for trouble and carrying knives, we played with each other, and carried a football. And all that was possible because there was a space for us to do it.”
The four football pitches, near Old Street in Islington, have been used by the nearby community for nearly 50 years and offer a rare green space in one of London’s most densely populated boroughs, campaigners say.
“The council’s plan fails to understand what these pitches mean to us,” said Eva Guerra, spokesperson for EC1VOICES. “A rooftop pitch is no substitute for a proper playing field. It’s an afterthought, not a solution.”
Islington Council says it has been working with the community on the plans since 2017 and its proposals include 198 flats, 100 of which would be council homes.
Planning documents show a seven-storey, eight-storey and twenty-storey block may be built on the site.
The plans also include a brand-new leisure centre including four 5/6-a-side rooftop football pitches.
An Islington Council spokesperson said: “Subject to planning permission, this project will deliver 100 new council homes, 98 homes for sale to help pay for them, an NHS GP medical centre and new leisure facilities.
“Residents are strongly encouraged to submit their comments on the planning application on the Islington Council website.
“As the applicant, we have carefully considered the layout of the new buildings to minimise the impact on our neighbours. The new 5/6-a-side rooftop football pitches will be high-quality, built to FA standard specifications, and include a spectator area.”
