Tybald's Estate, Holborn

With 22,000 households on the Camden Waiting List there is hardly anyone who does not know of a family in desperate overcrowding or the need for a new home for sons and daughters living with their in-laws.

And although the Con-Dem Government financial blizzard provides a very serious challenge for Camden, sometimes a piece of lateral thinking can produce some local schemes for housing. A classic example was in Central St Giles where a partnership with a housing association produced 63 new homes recently opened by local Labour councillors, and now available to local families.

The focus has now shifted to Tybald’s Close estate where 64 per cent of the available space consists of tarmac and concrete standing, and where only 13 per cent of the land is actually built on. An initial design suggests that well over 50 family homes could be built at Tybald’s Close, mainly along the Orde Hall Street frontage where there used to be homes.

Another key feature of the proposals is to have a Sports Hall for gymnastics, football, basketball, and other indoor activities, with a Community multi-purpose Hall above it to replace the two small Tenants’ Halls at Blemundsbury and Falcon.

No decisions will be taken without full consultation with local residents.

By Cllr Theo Blackwell, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

On 23^rd of November the true impact of the banking crisis hit home when Camden published its first estimation of the impact of national government budget cuts on each local service.

I therefore thought it important to write to you in some detail outlining Camden’s financial situation and the challenges we face as a local authority as we are forced to implement the government’s massive cuts to frontline services.

Our financial strategy, which will lead into the actual budget-setting in late February, starts a period of consultation and discussion with the general public on the scale of the cuts, what our priorities are and how we can develop solutions to minimise the undoubted impact this will have on services.

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