Hornsey Hospital Squat Faces Eviction s0609101

squatting archive | movement links

From: "Jo Makepeace" (webmaster@schnews.org.uk)
Subject: SchNEWS 559, Friday 8th September, 2006
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 00:44:01 +0100

Hornsey Hospital Squat Faces Eviction

ROUND THE HORN

Squatters living next to derelict Hornsey Hospital (149 Park Road, Crouch End, London N8) are facing eviction. A group of 20 originally moved into the Old Nurses Home - empty for 5 years - early last year and left by agreement with the council in January. Three months later, they returned to find the building was being trashed and covered in such pleasant rubbish as faeces and needles. Moving back in, they cleaned and renovated the place, making plans to develop the gardens to open up as a community space.

Now the owners, Camden and Islington Mental and Social Health Care Trust want them out to sell the land off, presumably eyeing up some profitable luxury flat development or other, but the squatters want to stay until the building is put back into community use. "This building is meant to be for the people of Hornsey and Haringey. If we are here, we look after the building and stop kids vandalising it. Instead of demanding a council flat, we are using, maintaining and protecting derelict council property. Our ideal situation would simply be to be left here until they actually do something positive with the building." They have widespread local support and a 500 strong petition but now face imminent eviction. That's what you get for an attempt to demonstrate real care in the community...

squatting archive | movement links