Will young replace old?

Published: 28 January, 2011

• A RUMOUR circulating suggests that Sotheby Mews in Highbury will probably close as a day centre for the elderly, with the premises then being occupied by users of the Roundhouse, who are in the main younger people.

The existing Roundhouse building needs to be demolished, as it is no longer fit for use. If it is rebuilt, that will leave Sotheby Mews vacant and a prime target for property developers. 

This almost smacks of ageism, with Islington Council stating that the elderly must go because Sotheby Mews is under-used.

The council considers that 60 people should be at the centre throughout the day, whereas the members always understood that the contract drawn up between the council and Age Concern meant 60 people should sign in during the day. 

When several Sotheby Mews members asked if they could see the contract, they were informed that this would probably not be possible, as it might constitute a breach of confidentiality and safety, a feeble excuse.

It does not strike me as being “a risk to the safety of the realm” to look at the wording of this contract, nor does this refusal seem a good example of open government, but then my opinion is only that of a pensioner who happens to pay council and income tax.

If the centre is perhaps sometimes under-used, it is because it has not been advertised sufficiently in the past, perhaps deliberately so. This is a great shame, as the building and all its facilities are ideal for their original purpose. Once gone, it will never be replaced.

I have spoken to several elderly people who live in Highbury Quadrant, adjacent to the centre, and they were totally unaware of its existence. Has the council been hatching a plot to use the centre as a temporary home for Highbury Roundhouse? Who knows?

If it is closed as a centre for the elderly, I, as a member, know that it will not just mean a loss of amenities, but the break-up of many relationships and friendships which are most important to retain in one’s later years.

JOYCE SMITH (aged 83)
Catherall Road, N5