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Published: 17 September, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a 140-year-old “secret garden” discovered in the heart of a Highbury redevelop­ment area are to make a stand to stop it from being bulldozed.

It follows a move by Islington’s planning committee last week to defer for a month a decision to approve the scheme at the former National Children’s Home (now Action for Children charity) at Highbury Park.

Ruling Labour councillors are demanding that half the planned 143 flats are made affordable, rather than 40 per cent as proposed by the developers. They are also planning to look again at the mature garden which residents want protected.

The overgrown garden, which would have been saved under an earlier planning brief, is less than half an acre and nestles between office buildings. It was discovered by residents visiting the site last year during an exhibition of the plans for the site - as the Tribune reported at the time.

Rare fungi, insects including yellow ants, and green woodpeckers have been identified at the garden.

Leading wildlife experts Dr Mark Spencer, a botanist with the London Natural History Society, has joined the call to save the garden. He said colourful and rare plants will be lost for ever if the garden is dug up and was able to identify rare species like the trailing St John’s wort, (Hypericum humifusum), a member of the same family of plant used as an alternative treatment for depression.

The pretty yellow flowering plant is said to be very rare in London and, according to Dr Spencer, this is the first known record of it growing in Islington.

The plans are to bulldoze four historic buildings – none of which is listed – on the site. Only Loxford House, built in the 1850s, would be spared from demolition.

The charity has moved to bigger, modern, premises outside Islington after 80 years in the borough. The development will help finance the move.

Caroline Russell, of Islington Green Party, said: “The secret garden is irreplaceable and makes a huge contribution to biodiversity in Islington. The gardens and grassland must be preserved for the benefit of future generations. We appeal to the council even at this late stage to protect this wonderful garden for the benefit of the community.”

A total of 34 trees will have to be felled to make way for the development, including four 30ft alders which shield homes in Lucerne Road from the site.

A spokesman for Action for Children said: “The proposals will open up this private and inaccessible land to the local community. The scheme will provide a new 0.4 hectare open space, including a new play area for young children. All the trees along the boundaries will be retained and there will be a new public path between Lucerne Road and Legard Road.

“In addition, there will be new trees, bird boxes, green roofs, and native plant species to increase the biodiversity of the area. This is major opportunity to create a high quality development including 140-150 new homes, half of which will be three- and four-bed family housing.”