Policy information sourced from the Finsbury Local Plan

BC1 King Square and St. Luke’s

The King Square and St. Luke’s area will be enhanced as a focal point for the wider community through sensitive, integrated, coordinated and high quality development, including:

  • Significantly improved community facilities, including a new leisure centre, a refurbished community centre, improved primary school and nursery facilities, improved play facilities, and healthcare facilities.
  • The retention of existing community assets within the area, including the St. Luke’s Centre and Toffee Park Adventure Playground.
  • A range of new homes that broaden the supply of housing in the area and meet local need, including homes suitable for families and older people.
  • A range of small and affordable retail units and workspaces.
  • An improved public realm, including a new pocket park on Seward Street, and reconfigured street patterns where these would improve legibility and permeability, particularly around Central Street, Moreland Street, the Finsbury Leisure Centre, St. Luke’s Gardens and within the King Square Estate.

The following should be provided by development proposals:

A. For the King Square Estate, including Moreland School, a coordinated approach to development on adjacent sites is expected, which delivers:

  • A shared primary school and children’s centre that provides good quality, outdoor play space and retains or reprovides the locally significant Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
  • The redevelopment of underused and low density land and buildings (including garaging areas, void ground floor units, car parks and low density housing) for residential and community uses.
  • A range of social rented homes, which maximise the supply of larger units suitable for families. The provision of sheltered accommodation is encouraged where this would release existing larger flats on the estate.
  • An improved, high quality east/west pedestrian priority route through King Square Estate linking Goswell Road and Central Street, which creates front gardens for ground floor flats in President House.
  • An integrated sustainable drainage system, incorporating rainwater retention, to green the estate for amenity and biodiversity value.
  • Improvements to the exterior of existing buildings, to integrate new buildings into the fabric of the estate.

B) For the Finsbury Leisure Centre and St. Luke’s Centre sites, a coordinated approach to development is expected, which delivers:

  • A range of community and leisure facilities, including a community centre, indoor leisure facilities and outdoor sports pitches, which provide a strong presence onto Central Street. Leisure facilities must complement the offer of the refurbished Ironmonger Row Baths and nearby Saddler’s Sports Centre. The location and operation of sports pitches should aim to maximise use by the local community, including by offsetting any recent or proposed loss of nearby informal access sports pitches/games areas.
  • A mix of other uses, including housing.
  • An integrated and legible network of pedestrian-priority routes and open space which promotes pedestrian movement between Central Street and Ironmonger Row Baths (potentially via the realignment of Paton Street), and between Mitchell Street and Lever Street.
  • A Decentralised Energy centre, integrated into the fabric of the redeveloped leisure centre.

C) An enhanced public realm, including:

  • The extension, retention or reprovision of existing green space, play space, private, semi-private or shared amenity space and micro allotments; achieved in a manner which contributes to and reinforces the area-wide green chain,
  • Improvements to Central Street, Moreland Street and Goswell Road, incorporating significant tree planting to reinforce their primacy in the street hierarchy and improve pedestrian and cycling connections,
  • Improvements to St. Luke’s Gardens (and surrounding streets) that enhances their biodiversity and recreational value,
  • Improvements to King Square Gardens that enhances their biodiversity and recreational value and improves public access from the junction of Goswell Road and Lever Street, and
  • The creation of a new pocket park on Seward Street.

D) New, high quality buildings and structures which:

  • Are based on a human scale and reflect the predominant building height,
  • Are designed in a way that ensures a high standard of amenity for existing residents, including noise and privacy,
  • Provide definition, enclosure and an active edge to Central Street, Central Square, Goswell Road, Moreland Street and other important pedestrian routes,
  • Enhance important edges, including through the redevelopment of existing buildings and structures which provide poor edge definition,
  • Re-establish traditional building lines,
  • Exhibit distinctive and visually interesting frontages, and
  • Retain existing small shop units.

E) An enhanced setting for St. Luke’s Gardens, St. Luke’s Church, and Ironmonger Row Baths (all key elements of the St. Luke’s Conservation Area), and for other recognised and historic landmarks. Development proposals on sites adjacent to St. Clement’s Church should contribute to an improved visual and physical relationship between the church and Central Street, and enhance the quality of views of the church from Central Square and neighbouring streets and spaces.

F) Expansion of the Decentralised Energy network, to which all new development must connect, where viable.

For more information please see the Local Plan