When High Speed 2 construction began around London’s Euston station in 2017, residents were promised that lost green spaces and playgrounds would be replaced. As voters prepare for an October 8 by-election triggered by former Prime Minister Keir Starmer stepping down, disappearing public parks and housing developments have become central issues in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, according to The Guardian.
The Shrinking Map of Euston and the Vanishing Parks
St James’s Gardens, an 18th-century burial ground that holds a designation as a site of importance for nature conservation, is among the public green spaces currently facing threats. Initially, HS2 Ltd had pledged to restore the gardens by constructing a fresh park on top of a concrete platform situated over the railway lines north of the station. However, government cost-cutting redesigns dropped that replacement park from the scheme entirely.
Responsibility for the surrounding site now sits between public planners and private developers. While parliament directly approved the rail project, private developer Lendlease is drawing up plans for commercial space and homes across the site.
Lendlease Plans 1,500 Homes Amid Local Concerns
Lendlease has said the scheme will provide up to 1,500 homes, including affordable ones, as well as public spaces and places for businesses and communities to thrive. Dorothea Hackman told The Guardian that by affordable, they mean 80% of current cost – they don’t mean social housing.
Dorothea Hackman, a governor at nearby Netley primary school, is worried about what the new buildings will mean for the area’s falling pupil numbers. Labour has dominated control of the council since the 1960s and represented the constituency since its creation in 1983. Yet this by-election provides an opening for challengers.
| Contending Force | Key Figure / Candidate | Stated Local Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | Sagal Abdi-Wali | Tackling Thames Water, ending rough sleeping, and ‘the Camden way’. |
| Green Party | Zack Polanski | |
| Restore Britain | Tyler Johnson |
Labour and Green Candidates Launch by-Election Campaigns
Sagal Abdi-Wali, leader of Camden Council and Labour’s candidate for the seat, launched her campaign in Kentish Town, focusing her platform on municipal action, housing, and public services. Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski entered the race following his party’s gains in urban areas. Jonathan Romain, author of ‘Confessions of a Rabbi’, raised concerns regarding the Green Party under Polanski, urging voters to vote for anyone but the Polanski Green Party over past municipal policy decisions and international stances.
As canvassers knock on doors ahead of the vote, the outcome will test whether local anger over lost parks and housing pressures can break decades of single-party dominance in North London.
