A furious protester forced Camden Council’s environment boss Councillor Brian Woodrow to halt a Town Hall planning meeting as it considered whether to allow the former Camden Town Neighbourhood Advice Centre to be turned into an office for policemen.
Ellen Luby, well-known at the Town Hall for heckling from the public galleries during full council meetings, was demanding written apologies for allegations of drug-abuse made against her and other protesters involved in the three-week siege in December 2003 at the Greenland Road centre.
The advice centre workers and supporters were eventually forced out out of the council-owned building, which has sat empty ever since.
As security guards led away the still shouting Mrs Luby, Cllr Woodrow said: “Mrs Luby is a well-known face in the borough. We all love her very much.”
In the end the reconvened councillors granted permission for the change in use of the Grade II-listed building. The conversion will require building work before policemen can move in, including the demolishing of the rear extension and putting in new walls.
Only Cllr Mike Greene abstained from voting for the changes, saying he could not understand why its community usefulness could not be used by the advice centre as a reason to stay open, but it could be used as a reason to allow the building to become a police office.
Barry Sullivan, who used to run the advice centre, said: “You won’t be able to just walk in if you need help like you could at the Neighbourhood Advice Centre.”