Windows hitch threatens to delay Upper Street arcade

Published: 6th May, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

WORK on a new £80m shopping arcade in Upper Street, Islington, is expected to be further delayed after developers were accused of trying to install the “wrong kind of windows”.

Town Hall officials are recommending that detailed plans for the development at a former Royal Mail sorting office should be rejected because aluminium and uPVC double-glazed windows are proposed rather than traditional wood and steel-framed designs. In a report to Thursday’s planning committee, conservation officers warn that the windows would be “out of keeping with a listed historic grade-II Edwardian building”.

The report adds: “Timber and steel windows are readily capable of being refurbished and, if properly maintained, can last for centuries. uPVC and aluminium windows, however, tend to be unsustainable as their manufacture consumes high levels of energy. They are also less capable of being repaired and have a life span of around 20 years.”

Outline permission has already been granted for the controversial arcade, designed by architect Piers Gough over six years of negotiations. It will have up to 25 shops, or a smaller number of large stores, and 267 flats, of which 98 will be “affordable”.