Morton Road Park

Have your say on potential plans to build new homes on Morton Road Park

There is an urgent need for new housing in Islington. To help address the housing crisis and increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes, the council is identifying sites across the borough with potential for development. One such site is on the edge of Morton Road Park, fronting onto Ecclesbourne Road in the Canonbury Ward, and we’d like your feedback on its potential use and early design ideas.

Morton Road Park includes a mix of green space, a play area, and a hard-standing area. It also contains a UK Power Networks electrical substation. The proposed development would provide in the region of 18 new homes on the north boundary of the park. The lost open space required to build the new homes will be re-provided by extending the park at its southern edge by reducing the width of Morton Road.

Why this site?

There is a pressing need for genuinely affordable housing in Islington, especially family-sized homes. We are exploring every opportunity to provide new homes so that every resident has a safe place to call home. In some instances, this means looking at opportunities outside of our estates to balance priorities across the borough.

Key reasons for considering this site include:

• The land is owned by the London Borough of Islington.
• The site is in a residential area with good transport links, including Essex Road and Highbury & Islington stations.
• The area is undergoing improvement, with new developments underway in Canonbury Corner to make the junction safer for pedestrians and vulnerable road users.
• The proposals aim to preserve and enhance the local character, including the adjacent Conservation Area.

The proposal

At this early stage, we are proposing to build a modest block of new homes on the hard-standing area at the north edge of Morton Road Park. The development would include a mix of two-bedroom (4-person) and one-bedroom (2 person) flats, with a focus on providing genuinely affordable housing for local residents.

More on what we are proposing:

• Building heights will be kept as low as possible, with a preferred option of a 4-storey block respecting the adjoining Conservation Area, with a maximum of 5-storeys where appropriate.
• No Category A trees will be removed. Some smaller trees may be affected, but replacement planting and park expansion are planned to enhance green space.
• Vehicular access will be retained, although parking along Morton Road will be reduced. A parking stress-test survey has been conducted to ensure there is sufficient capacity for displaced vehicles to park on surrounding roads.
• No changes are proposed to the Thriving Neighbourhoods recently refurbished play-space area, and the development will aim to improve the overall quality of the surrounding public space.

Plan of the areas being considered for development

Have your say

We want to hear your views on using the proposed area for new housing.

You can share your views by:

• completing our short survey on the project specific Let’s Talk Islington page through the link below:
  1. https://www.letstalk.islington.gov.uk/MortonRoadPark
• attending one of our drop-in consultation events, the first of which is on the 12^th November 15:30-19:00 at Popham & Cummings Community Centre and giving feedback in person

This consultation page will be open until 7^th January 2026 for you to provide feedback.

Your feedback will help the next stage of design to provide these new, genuinely affordable homes.

Next steps

• Once we have reviewed your feedback, we will develop a more detailed design proposal for new homes on the site.
• Leading up to a planning application, there will be further community consultation and engagement including a second consultation event which we expect to take place in early 2026.