Tiber Gardens has the potential to be a lovely spot once more next to the canal. You can sit on a bench there in the sun and watch desperate Guardian journalists in the office building opposite scrabble frantically to sell advertising or observe the high speed spinning on the spot of their columnists (which should be harnessed as an alternative power source). Until the sun goes behind their huge building of course, when it gets dark and chilly (especially in winter when low in the sky).
If you couldn't make it to the consultation day on the future of Tiber Gardens we advertised last week you can send some views in writing. The Council's PR firm has supplied one of those hideous forms they specialise in. Which I am not going to post here. Instead I suggest writing an email to
kirsten.hulstein@localdialogue.com
and, if you feel inclined answer the following questions:
Islington Greenspace has acquired the open space from Homes for Islington and our aim is to
create an open and accessible space.
Are you a…?
Tiber Gardens resident
Canal user
Other (please state)
Can you name a good/bad example of a public space?
Why is this a good/bad example?
What would make you use this space more?
What kinds of things would you like to see in the space?
Tables and benches
Allotments
Flowerbeds
A water feature
Other (please state)
Do you think that improvements to Tiber Gardens green space would be a good thing for the local community?
Do you have any further comments
Kings Cross Environment 
I guess that most casual users such as Kings Place employees or towpath passers-by will support the idea of this becoming publicly open space. However, there is considerable opposition from the people who live immediately adjacent. They are not being unreasonable and their views should be given considerable weight. Don’t forget that the money to potentially do up Tiber Gardens has been secured through a S106 agreement from Kings Place – i.e. they have to pay for it … no surprise then that Kings Place likes the idea that their staff and public should have a nice canal front space to sit in at lunch time, after work or before an arts event.
It seems to me that the consultants’ starting point is wrong. Their questionnaire says that Greenspace’s “aim is to make Tiber Gardens an open and accessible space”. That statement alone seems to close-off options and presume that Tiber Garden should become public open space accessible to anyone at pretty much any time. Most of the subsequent questions seem to point in that direction. Already people living down there feel slightly resigned to a public space solution being forced on them. I disagree and think there are other options.
There are main two reasons. Firstly this has historically been “housing land” i.e. connected to the estate and essentially for the use of people living there. The fact that transfer to Greenspace happened was not in itself a suggestion that this should become public open space. It’s just that Homes for Islington were not looking after it and Greenspace promised they would do so. That’s why I concurred in its transfer and it would not have happened if local Councillors had not agreed. So I do think the terms of that promise need to be honoured.
Secondly, in previous times when this space was freely accessible, it resulted in considerable distress to nearby residents from anti social behaviour. This ASB has not really gone away despite eforts to close-off the area temporarily. Whilst I think in theory that more footfall, a more open towpath and adjoining open space should deter the congregation of youths causing trouble, in practice I doubt whether it will do so. There is persistent trouble occurring on the towpath and surrounding areas which generally happens in the evening and late at night … when all those Kings Place workers and casual strollers are comfortably at home.
At best, I think Tiber Garden should be made a semi-public space that would be kept secure and safe. Ideally I think it should be available to a limited number of authorised users – say as allotments and/or for cultivation by estate residents and/or a school garden (for Copenhagen, Blessed Sacrament and Kate Greenaway children’s centre. A good model for this is Barnsbury Wood – a small piece of secure land which backs onto gardens between Thornhill Cresent, Crescent Street and Huntingdon Street where there are equally sensitive issues because the land also backs onto many gardens.
Finally, my understanding of Islington Council’s peculiar governance arrangements is that a final decision on Tiber Garden will be taken by the West Area Committee which has the delegated responsibility for environmental decisions in this ward. So, at the end of the day, a decision on the future of this very sensitive piece of land will be taken by locally elected representatives, not by managers or by the Town Hall Executive.