Appendix1 HousingCommittee 10July2014 Item5:ResidentPerspectivesonthe RegenerationofLondon’sSocialHousingEstates DarrenJohnsonAM(Chair): Todaythefirstpartofthemeetingisgoingtobeanopen session,enablingresidentstogivetheirviewsandexperiencesofregenerationprogrammesand theissuesarounddemolitionandestaterefurbishment,sowewillhearfrompeopleintheroom onthat.ThenthesecondpartofthemeetingisapaneldiscussiontoallowtheCommitteeto considerthemethodswhichallowthesenon-financialmatterstobemoresystematically factoredintothedecision-makingprocessandtheimpactthismighthaveontheresulting regenerationprogramme. Tokickthingsoff,IamgoingtoaskSharonHayward,theLondonTenantsFederation(LTF) representativeonourpaneltoday,togiveherperspectivefirstandthenintroduceanumberof otherspeakersbeforewethrowitwideopen. SharonHayward(Co-ordinator,LTF): IamtheCo-ordinatorfortheLondonTenants Federation,soIdonotconsidermyselfarepresentative.Ihadassumedthatpartofmyrole herewouldbetoco-ordinatesomeofthevoicesfromtheLTFtoexpresstheirconcerns.We hadfocusedontheissueofdemolitionversusrefurbishmentandwehadnotconsideredawider regenerationagenda,althoughperhapsthetwooftenareverymuchoverlappingatthe moment.Obviously,youcanhaveregenerationthatdoesnotinvolvehousingatall,andthere havebeenmanycircumstancesofthat,andtherearesomethatdealwiththefullrange. TheLTFbringstogetherborough-widesocialhousingtenantfederations.Mostofthemare localauthorityorganisations,butincreasinglyweareinvolvinghousingassociationtenantsas well.AlsounderourumbrellaaretheLondonFederationofHousingCo-operativesandthe NationalFederationofTenantManagementOrganisations(TMOs). TheissueofdemolitionversusrefurbishmenthasbecomemoreprominentintheLTF’s discussionsforawhilenowandincreasinglyaspeoplecomebackandsaythatsomeoftheir ownmembersareexperiencinglarge-scaledemolitionswheretherehasbeenpoorprovisionof informationtotenantsandresidentsfromthestart,retractionofpromisesthatweremadein earlydiscussionsandinadequateevidencetojustifythedemolitionatall. TheLTFwasinvolvedintheorganisationofaconferenceinJune2013withanumberofother groups,includingJustSpace,andweheldaworkshopatthatconferencespecificallyonthe issueofdemolitionversusrefurbishment.Thatworkshopconcludedthattherewasaserious needforauthoritiestoproduceinanyproposalfordemolitionagoodbalancesheetcovering wideeconomic,socialandenvironmentissues.Oftenpeoplearegivenpartoftheinformation, Page 1 butnotalloftheinformation.Asafollow-uptothatconference,JustSpaceandLTFhave recentlycommissionedapieceofworkfromUniversityCollegeLondon’s(UCL)engineering departmenttoconsidersomeofthetechnicalissuesrelatedtothisandtheirreportisgoingto besubmittedaspartofthewrittensubmissionstothisinvestigation. Asatenants’organisation,necessarily,theLTF’sgreatestconcernisthesocialimpactof unnecessarydemolitionofperfectlygoodsocial-rentedhomesandparticularlytheimpactof demolitionontheavailabilityofgenuinelyaffordablehomesinthecapital.AsIamsureyou alreadyknow,iftheMayor’sassessmentofthebacklogofhousingneedtogetherwithnewly arisingneedweretobemetwithinafive-yearperiod,whichusedtobetherequirement,99%of the42,000housingtargetwouldneedtobeaffordablehomesand66%wouldneedtobe social-rented.ThereareafairnumberofuswhowouldchallengetheanalysisthattheMayor’s Officehasdoneandfeelthatperhapstheanalysisontheneedforsocial-rentedhousingis underestimated,butthefigureisanywayveryhigh. Deliveryofadditionalsocial-rentedhomesinLondonisconsistentlypoor.From2007to2013, asouranalysisofmonitoringreportsoftheLondonPlanshows,only50%oftheLondonPlan’s targetforsocial-rentedhomeswasmetandthiscompareswith92%ofthetargetformarket homesbeingmetand73%ofthetargetforintermediatehomes.Havingabitofafurtherdig throughtheannualmonitoringreportsoftheLondonPlan,wefoundthattheimpactof demolitiononsocial-rentedhomesonthisverypoorlevelofdeliveryisactuallyquitesignificant. Itseemsthatathirdofthenewsocial-rentedhomesdeliveredinLondonoverthatsix-year periodwerejustreplacementsforothersthathadbeendemolished.Haditnotoccurred,the targetwouldhavebeenmetby75%-betteranyway-andtherewouldbe15,272additional social-rentedhomesinLondonthanwehavenow.Itisnotinsignificantinpolicyterms. Giventhattheaffordablehousinggrantisnolongeravailableforthedeliveryofsocial-rented homes,itisessentialthatthisCommitteeseriouslyconsiderstheextenttowhichdemolition, ratherthanrefurbishment,ofsocial-rentedhomesiscontributingtotheongoingcrisisin housingaffordabilityinLondonandthefailuretoproperlyaddressthegapbetweenneedand supply. Thereisalsoasignificantlackoftransparencyinthedata,notonlyaroundthedeliveryof additionalsocial-rentedhomesinLondon,butalsoonhowmuchdemolitionofperfectlygood social-rentedhomesisoccurringandwhy.Ourfiguresarederivedbycomparingfiguresfornew homesdeliveredwithfiguresforadditionalhomesandobviouslythereisquiteasignificant differencethere.DemolitionofestatessuchastheHeygatewillnotappearanywhereinthe figuresuntilsomeyearshencewhenreplacementhomesarebuilt,sowehaveasignificant underestimateofnumbersofsocial-rentedhomesthatarebeingdemolishedandbeingleft emptyinLondon.Wewouldlikesometransparencyonthis.Wewouldliketoseeasaveryfirst stepthattheLondonAssemblyrequiresortriestopushforthosefigurestobetransparentand thattheGreaterLondonAuthority(GLA)openlypublishesfiguresarounddemolitionseachyear ofeachtypeofhome.Thankyou. DarrenJohnsonAM(Chair): Thankyouverymuch,Sharon,forsettingthesceneso eloquentlythisafternoon.ThereareanumberofspeakersthatSharonhassuggestedIcallwith Page 2 perspectivesfromdifferentestatesaroundLondon,whichIwill.Thenwewillthrowit completelyopenand,hopefully,wewilltrytogeteveryoneinoratleastasneartoeveryoneas possible.Dokeepyourcontributionsfairlyshort.Sharonhassetthescenewonderfully,butwe doneedtokeeptherestofthecontributionsreallyshortsowecanbringasmanypeopleinas possible. Iamkeenthatwekickoffthediscussionnow.CanIcallDerrickChungfromtheWestHendon Estate? DerrickChung(Chairman,WestHendonResidents’Association): Mynameis DerrickChungandIamChairoftheWestHendonResidents’AssociationinBarnet.Ihavebeen lookingatyourflyerswhereitsays,“Welcometotoday’smeeting”,andaboutbestpracticeand seekingviewsinthedecision-makingprocess.Thedecision-makingprocessforthe regenerationofWestHendonwasaconsultationthatwasanultimatum:youeithertakeitor thereisabusgoingthatway.Wewerenotallowedtotakepartinthedecision-makingprocess. Inthebeginning,therewere680homeunits.Atthepresenttime,thereareabout548 affordablehomesthataresupposedtobebuilttoreplacewheneverythingisknockeddown. Theterm‘affordable’appliesonlytolandlordsandnottenantsbecausetheywillnotbeableto affordthenewhomes.Thefiguresmaynotbeveryaccurate,butascloseasIcangettoit, therewillbe132low-costhomeownerships,whichmayrelatetoleaseholdersandfreeholders whowilllosetheirleasesandhavetorenegotiatenewtermsofcontractandarrangementsin ordertogetahome.Thecompulsorypurchaseorders(CPOs)havealreadybeendelivered. Wehaveadocumentherethatisapledgeforlike-for-like.Itmeanswhatyouhave,whenthe newhomesarebuilt,isexactlywhatyouaregoingtogetoverthere,unlessyoucanfind £50,000moreontheprice.Homeownershipandsharedequityareaconbecauseitmeansthat thedevelopers,BarrattHomesandMetropolitanHousingTrust,willeventuallyownyourhome. Nooneintheirrightmindwhohasdischargedtheirmortgagewouldwanttoenterintoany formofrenegotiationwheretheyaregoingtopayrentbecause,ifyouarenotabletopayyour rent,thereisrepossessionorderandanevictionorderyouwillbeservedwith. Wealsofoundout15yearsagothatwhatitisandwhatitshouldbearedifferent.Thereare 256non-securedtenantswhohavebeendraftedintothearea.Thereasonisbecausethereis noagreementwithBarnetCouncil,whoismakingthedecision,torehousetransienthouseholds anywhereontheestateorevenwithintheborough,sotheycouldallbeshiftedtosome reservationsomewhere.Thereare1,491homesforsale.Thatisexpectedtoincreasefrom680 to2,149.Thosehomeswillbeluxuryapartments,so,ifyouhave£1million,youareOK. WearenearYorkMemorialPark,whichhassomesignificancebecause,asfarasIcan understandit,alotoffolkswerekilledduringWorldWarIIwhenabombexplodedthereand theirremainsaredownthere.TheWelshHarpisalsoaSiteofSpecialScientificInterest(SSSI) area.Birds,bats,bees,trees,theirhabitatsareindangerandsoforthefolkswholiveonthe estate,allforthemeansofmakingalotofprofit. DarrenJohnsonAM(Chair): Thankyou,Derrick. Page 3 PatTurnbull(HackneyResidentsLiaisonPanelrepresentative,LondonTenants Federation): IamreadingoutastatementfromEddieRichardson.EddieRichardsonisalong- timetenantontheWoodberryDownEstateinHackney.Heisnotabletobeheretoday, unfortunately,becauseheisprettyoldandheisnotfitenoughtogetout,soIamreadingthis onhisbehalf: “WoodberryDownEstatewasstartedin1948.ImovedintoRowleyGardensonthe estatein1961intoanewflatinahigh-riseblockwhereIstilllivetoday.Rowley Gardenswasthelastmajordevelopmentontheoriginalestate.Aswellashigh-rise blocks,ithasrowsofmaisonettesandplentyofgreenspaceinbetween.Whenyousee itevennow,itisnotsurprisingthatitwonanaward. Therewereover2,000council-rentedhomesoriginallyonWoodberryDown.In1999, HackneyCounciltookthedecisiontoknockdownandrebuildtheestate.Therewasno ballotofresidents.Apublicrelations(PR)firmheldmeetingsindifferentpartsofthe estatetoselltheplantothetenantsandleaseholders.Thepictureweweregivenwasof arebuiltestatewewouldallbeabletolivein,withnewhomestheequivalentofthe councilhomeswelivedin.Therewasnotalkofprivatedevelopment. ThelatestrescheduledplanforWoodberryDownhasincreasedthenumberofphases fromfivetoeight.Weareonlyonphasetwo.Thedevelopmentwillgoonuntil2032. Peoplewereoriginallytoldtheywouldonlyhavetomoveonce,butalreadysomehave movedthreeorfourtimes.Thenumberofprojectedhomeshasgoneupfrom4,000to 5,557.SixtypercentofthesewillbeforsalebydeveloperBerkeleyGroup.Sofar,their