Islington Labour councillors for Junction ward, working alongside local MP Jeremy Corbyn, have secured concessions on behalf of residents over plans by Transport for London (TfL) to move more buses to Holloway Bus Garage on Pemberton Gardens.

The local councillors are opposing moves by TfL to move an extra 18 buses serving the number 46 route to the bus garage. This will lead to 13,000 more bus arrivals and departures over a single year, causing significant disruption for residents.

Along with Jeremy Corbyn MP and Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, Cllr Claudia Webbe, the community champions for Junction ward wrote to TfL to urge them to rethink their plans. In a recent meeting, the councillors made clear their frustrations and pressed TfL for concessions to mitigate their impact on residents.

As a result of pressure from Islington Labour councillors for Junction ward, TfL has agreed to:

• Escalate a faster transition to a zero emission bus fleet at the garage
• Tackle disruptive behaviour at the bus garage, including shouting from bus drivers, build-up of buses and noise at the bus garage
• Review air quality levels in and around the bus garage with the Council
• Improve communications with local residents, including by re-introducing regular resident meetings with Holloway Bus Garage management

Cllr Janet Burgess MBE, Islington Labour councillor for Junction ward, says:

“Residents living around Holloway Bus Garage have had to endure noise and disruption for a long time, and we have repeatedly pressed TfL to tackle this wherever possible. However, their recent announcement to move 18 extra buses to the garage is incredibly frustrating.

 

“We are pleased that we have secured some concessions from TfL, particularly around noise and air quality, which will help to mitigate the impact of the changes on residents, including families living in surrounding social housing.

 

“Our priority is to reduce the impact of the changes at Holloway Bus Garage on residents. In particular, we will continue to press TfL to speed up the transition to a zero emission bus fleet, which will help to clean up the air that nearby residents breathe.”