Policy information sourced from the Islington Local Plan

SP4 Angel and Upper Street

  • The Angel Spatial Strategy area is partly covered by the CAZ, while the remaining part is a CAZ fringe location.
  • Angel Town Centre covers the majority of the Spatial Strategy area. It has a strong retail, service and leisure offer with a large number of small and independent units. Further retail, leisure and service uses are considered suitable across Angel Town Centre to support and enhance this offer and to meet the limited need for new floorspace over the plan period. Retail uses should be directed to the Town Centre in the first instance, particularly to the Primary Shopping Area, then the Upper Street LSA, in line with the sequential approach.
  • The Sainsbury’s site (Site Allocation reference AUS6) offers an opportunity to develop a significant amount of retail and business uses and contribute to the strategic aims for retail and office uses.
  • Chapel Market will be strongly protected. Any development proposals must ensure that the character and function of the street market is not adversely impacted, and opportunities for improvement must be sought where appropriate, particularly with regard to the public realm to help improve the management of the market and the shops, and to make this area more accessible for pedestrians.
  • Camden Passage is a specialist shopping area with a significant concentration of antique, curio and vintage stores. The unique function of this area will be strongly protected. In line with protecting this function retail use, including at upper floors, will be strongly protected consistent with Policy R7.
  • Angel Town Centre is a designated Cultural Quarter where existing cultural uses will be protected and new cultural uses are promoted. All development proposals within the Town Centre must enhance and protect this cultural role and ensure its continued effective operation.
  • Night-time economy uses must be directed to the Town Centre, and demonstrate that there is no significant adverse effect on local amenity.
  • The Upper Street LSA should be the focus for smaller retail, leisure and service provision consistent with the existing character and function of the area.
  • Consistent with the CAZ/CAZ fringe location, business use is a priority land use in Angel Town Centre, and on upper floors in the rest of the Spatial Strategy area. Existing office, research and development and light industrial use will be protected and proposals for new business floorspace must maximise the provision of business floorspace, particularly in White Lion Street, Pentonville Road and upper floor locations across the Town Centre. The Sainsbury’s site is a key strategic site which could deliver a significant amount of new business floorspace.
  • A broad range of office floorspace typologies is considered suitable within the Town Centre, including Grade A space, ‘hybrid’ space and co-working space. All proposals involving new and/or re-provided business floorspace must provide suitable space for SMEs.
  • Development in the Angel and Upper Street area must contribute to the creation of a high quality environment that is accessible to all residents, employees and visitors, including through improvement of public transport capacity and experience. New development should provide good connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists, and good permeability within and through sites.
  • The Council supports the development of Crossrail 2 with a station at Angel. There are several site allocations in the Angel and Upper Street area which are TfL Crossrail 2 2015 Consultation work sites and/or within the Crossrail 2 Safeguarding Limits (March 2015).
  • The Angel Crossrail 2 station should achieve an exemplary design quality with specific focus on ensuring improved permeability through, and in the vicinity of, the site. This should include the creation of a new 24-hour level access public route between City Road and Islington High Street, via Torrens Street.
  • Opportunities for public realm improvements must be prioritised as part of the Crossrail 2 project and associated development. Public spaces and street infrastructure such as pavements, cycling facilities and pedestrian crossings should adapt to accommodate any increase in activity and changes to how people move through the Town Centre.
  • Improvements to reduce the dominance of through traffic are sought around Angel station and the main junction of Islington High Street with City Road, Goswell Road and St. John Street. In particular, pedestrian and cycling routes should be promoted to improve the linkages along the City Road/Pentonville Road commercial corridor. Measures to improve bus journey time and bus priority (especially over private vehicles) are supported.
  • The historic character of the area should be protected and enhanced through high quality design. New development should respect the local context of the Angel and Upper Street area, particularly in relation to conservation areas and local landmarks. Islington Tunnel runs underneath the Spatial Strategy area. The structural integrity and heritage value of the tunnel should be protected from any adverse impacts.
  • Housing will come forward on sites allocated for housing, on upper floors within the town centre (outside of the Specialist Shopping Area) as well as windfall sites within the wider area.
  • Site Allocations within the Spatial Policy Area are expected to deliver 80 homes and 24,600sqm of office space over the plan period.

For more information please see the Islington Local Plan