Town Hall set to let out empty car park in Clerkenwell to storage company

Skinner Street self storage unit, artist’s impression. Image: Proun archictect

Old furniture, racks of clothes and office equipment could be stored in an old car park underneath council flats in Clerkenwell.

Islington Council owns the empty car park on Skinner Street and senior politicians are likely to agree to Urban Locker Self Storage using it to generate “significant rental income”.

The money would be used for the council’s housing revenue account.

A Town Hall report said letting the space out could remove the risk of the empty car park attracting anti-social behaviour.

It also said it is “not straightforward” to find a new use for the underground garage.

The report said the former NCP car park “is not fit for purpose for parking modern-sized vehicles and potentially inconsistent with the council’s Net Zero
Carbon strategy”.

As part of its standard lease agreement, it will insist workers get the London Living Wage as minimum. The council will also ask the tenants to employ people from the borough.

The storage company has a base in Peerless Street near Old Street and rents out office, domestic and mailboxes as well as offering space for students to store items they don’t need every day.

According to its website, it has a minimum two-week rental period.

The lease would include conditions limiting operating hours that could affect residents. It would mean the self storage unit could open between 6am and 10pm on weekdays, from 8am to 10pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. There will also be limits on loading and unloading goods.

It is likely to be agreed by the council executive on 24 November.

The scheme will only go ahead if it gets planning permission.