Gardener slams plan to build flats over allotment on drug dealers’ old patch

A GARDENER who transformed a drug dealers’ haven into a flourishing community allotment today slammed a council’s decision to build flats on the “urban oasis”.

Mick Duffy, 54, has been growing crops, herbs and flowers on the plot in Finsbury Park’s Andover Estate for the past two years.

Last year the allotment, built over an area known for gangs and stabbings at a cost of £70,000, produced 120 tons of tomatoes eaten by locals or donated to local food banks. Its 7,500 blooms adorned Islington’s war memorials.

Mr Duffy said: “It’s a fantastic community asset and has made such an improvement to the entire estate.”

The site has been earmarked for a £33 million redevelopment to transform the borough’s biggest and most deprived housing estate and build 140 flats but as yet no developer is known to have come forward.

Mr Duffy said: “We have this beautiful urban oasis and it’s going to be taken away even though there is such little green space around here. It keeps people healthy, everything’s organic.

“It’s brilliant to see the look on kids’ faces when they get a bean straight from the pod, some have never done it before. The site is exactly where the gangs used to hang out, openly drug deal and fight people, but now people feel safe.”

Mr Duffy said he was disappointed funding for the scheme had been cut long before redevelopment is due to start.

Residents had agreed to 140 new homes being built on the site provided there would be a new health centre and other major improvements.

A spokesman for Islington council said: “This was always intended as a short-term interim arrangement while the council held discussions with potential partners to take over running the centre.

“We want to continue to provide a centre for community gardening and learning on the site, and are in talks with a potential provider.

“Longer term we may seek to relocate the project to another site.”