Camden Passage stall owner hits out at rain garden plans

Karen Murdoch, who owns market stalls in Camden Passage, Islington, said that the gardens - flower beds designed to soak up water - were built as part of work to install an ‘S’ bend in nearby Charlton Place last year.

At the time, she claimed residents were “aghast” at the “ridiculous” new road design, itself put in to slow traffic.

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One year on, the council is planning on installing two new rain gardens at the other end of Charlton Place over two weeks from April 22.

An 'S' bend was installed in Charlton Place last year (Image: Newsquest)

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But Karen says the existing rain gardens are already blighted by waste, and that she had concerns giving over more road space would create access problems for residents.

She explained: “These rain gardens seem to be a bit of a nonsense.

“I don’t think there was ever a problem with flooding down the end of Charlton Place. It’s a thriving business area – not a park.”

“The gardens already there have proved to be just a place for rubbish to collect, and dogs and cats to defecate."

Concerns have been raised about litter and dog poo (Image: UGC)

Karen added that there were also fears that the new gardens would reduce the number of parking spaces.

She said access had already been hampered, claiming the rain gardens had taken up space in the road, resulting in e-bikes being abandoned outside people’s homes.

Karen said: “Instead of these rain gardens, we are asking the council to spend money on street cleaning because of all the litter.

“And of course, with the rise in crime, we’ve had lots of burglaries so more CCTV would be helpful.”

Abandoned e-bikes are also a problem in the road (Image: UGC)

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Islington Council documents suggest four parking spaces will be suspended during work, but later reinstalled.

It told the Islington Gazette that it removes bikes not parked appropriately, and that the location of cycle stands have been “thoroughly considered” to avoid preventing access to homes.

The council says it has seen no increase in crime or anti-social behaviour over the past year, and that it is planning extra litter picking and dog waste removal.

A council spokesperson said: “The changes are designed to help attract more visitors, and bring more footfall to local businesses – which include many unique shops, as well as outdoor markets and cafes – and will help to address road danger concerns that were raised with us during a public consultation on the plans.”

They added: “The changes are designed to reflect feedback from residents and traders alike, and we’re pleased to see the impact they’re already having.”