I am pleased to reproduce a letter expected to appear in this week's Islington papers, the 'Gazette' and the 'Tribune', from my dear friend Barry Hill.

Dear Editor. When the spectre of “redevelopment” of Sobell was first mooted by Islington Council in June 2008 and a simplistic, unbalanced consultation exercise took place, my colleague Gordon Kerr and I raised the concerns of centre users with Mr Jeremy Corbyn MP at a meeting on July 7th.

Mr Bob Gilbert, then head of the Council department overseeing this “initiative”, insisted on attending and, during the course of discussions, stated that the centre needed to be demolished so that a new centre could be built closer to Tollington Road, thereby dealing with the problem of the continued existence of some “inappropriate green space”, namely the grassy bank and flower beds between the staff car park and the road.

How ironic it is that this beautifully looked after “inappropriate green space” and, in particular, its dazzlingly attractive flower beds has helped Islington to reach the finals of the "Britain in Bloom" competition, as is now proudly trumpeted by Islington Council on a large banner prominently displayed on the railings of the Sobell Centre itself.

Does anyone in Islington not personally related to any pro-demolition councillors actually want the Sobell to be demolished and replaced with towers of flats and a "leisure-led, mixed-use" facility? Does anyone know what these terms mean? Note the absence of the words “sport” and "exercise" from any official communications.

Please take the time to attend the open community meeting at Emmanuel Church in Hornsey Road (a 5 minute walk from Sobell) at 7.30 pm on 29 April. All four political parties in Islington have been invited and I have received confirmation from every party apart from the Liberal Democrats.

Yours sincerely

Barry Hill

Sobell User Representative