AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE OF NEWS, BY AND FOR ROEHAMPTON RESIDENTS ROEHAMPTON VOICE @RoehamptonVoice ISSUE 41 AUTUMN 2020 2 EU nationals need to secure Autumn on their status to continue living the Common in the UK after Brexit by JOHN HORROCKS by CITIZENS ADVICE WANDSWORTH Walking is good for you! That’s why a group of Roehampton residents like to meet each month for a guided walk across Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common. On the first Sunday of each month we gather at the Shell petrol filling station on Roehampton Lane at 11am. We then set out at a gentle pace, to walk to the Windmill, and If you or anyone in your family is a European citizen, you need to take on, maybe to Wimbledon Village action to secure your right to live, work, study and receive benefits and or to the playing fields at Putney services after Brexit. Citizens Advice Wandsworth can help you apply Vale. Then it’s a bus ride back to to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status). Roehampton. The EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status) is free and Come and join us. Everyone is open to EU citizens and their non-EU family members. To make a welcome! The walk is led by Cathy successful application you just need to prove your identity, prove that Chandler and John Horrocks. you live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions. Wellingtons are advised if it is wet. The next walks are on Sunday For more information visit gov.uk/eu-settled-status 1st November and Sunday 6th December. You should apply before 31 December 2020, as this is when your rights could change. You need to apply even if you have a Permanent The Windmill on Wimbledon Common Residence card, as your residence card will not be valid after 31 December 2020. You are also advised to apply if you have Indefinite Leave to Remain, as you’ll get a more secure status. Citizens Advice Wandsworth works in partnership with Wandsworth Borough Council to offer information and advice about Brexit and related issues to EU citizens and their non-EU family members living or working in Wandsworth. The EU Project Team can help you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme and here is how to contact them: [email protected] 020 3559 2054 www.cawandsworth.org/eu ROEHAMPTON VOICE: ISSUE 41 SUBMITTING ARTICLES ADVERTISING RATES The Roehampton Voice is keen to have input Advertising in the Roehampton £20 for ⅛ page from as many local people as possible. Voice represents exceptional £50 for ¼ page The Winter edition of the Roehampton Voice will value for money. £100 for ½ page be published early in December. £200 for a full page Copy date for contributions 20 November. For the very reasonable rates If you would like to write an article for us, email EVENTS below, you can reach 6,150 [email protected] Please pass us details of households throughout your events, for inclusion You can follow us on Facebook, Roehampton. on our back page. or tweet @RoehamptonVoice The Roehampton Voice is published as a project of the Roehampton Trust. Cover: Albrook House by Alesa Tonette (2020) & Elevation of Parkstead House, Vitruvius Britannicus (1771); collage and deisgn by Rada Lewis 3 me, I always want to help people and Regenerate Rise as they have A star of our facing trauma; I guess it’s because proper systems and safeguarding I’ve had some trauma in my own life.” worked out,” she says, “otherwise community volunteers could end up taking on response to Back in March, Lynne joined the too much. But these local charities Wandsworth-wide mutual aid and services need to be promoted Coronavirus network, but felt strongly that more so everyone knows what they by ANGUS ROBERTSON Roehampton needed its own online can do to support.” platform: “Not for chit-chat,” she There have been many examples says, “but to enable people to help Looking forward, Lynne is of Roehampton organisations each other, source and share useful concerned about a spike in poor and individuals responding to the and official information.” Lynne’s mental health. “Sometimes it feels coronavirus pandemic and helping energetic and assertive approach like Roehampton is a bit lost, and local people in need. recruited others (including it’s very worrying that there are this correspondent and local so many vulnerable people here One such person is Alton resident Roehampton businesses) to join. with little support.” Still doing Lynne Capocciama. Whilst Lynne is There are now over 400 members her bit, Lynne has returned to a keen to point out that many people in this group and it continues as a project that she started pre-Covid, have given their time for others in local online noticeboard. called ”Estate Art”. This aims to the last six months – “there have make participation in art activity been hundreds of other soldiers A theme throughout Lynne’s more accessible to Roehampton running around helping people” - approach has been to ensure residents, to help people’s mental her list of projects is impressive. volunteers are not overloaded, wellbeing. As we spoke, Lynne was Lynne initiated the Roehampton which she achieves by linking into in the middle of organising the Covid-19 Support Facebook page local community organisations and Roehampton Sing-Along: (along with Jonathan Palma of services. “It was really important a series of five summer music Citizens Advice Wandsworth). to refer people in need to events to bring our local By making personal approaches Wandsworth’s Community Hub and community together. to local store managers, she to organisations like Regenerate supported local charities Regenerate and Regenerate Rise to source food donations. She helped to deliver the Community Knock newsletter. And she enabled local businesses to reach local people during lockdown. All of this whilst she worked in a care home throughout a most difficult time! “It began when I volunteered to help local people on the Nextdoor app, back in March,” says Lynne. “Jonathan Palma then linked me to a lady who was coming out of hospital, after cancer treatment, and moving into a flat that had absolutely nothing.” In two days, Lynne sourced her furniture, equipment and supplies. So, what motivated Lynne so strongly? “I was concerned about elderly people stuck at home, unable or scared to go out to get food or even a toilet roll. It’s just 4 Redrow and Regeneration – on the council’s planning website to Redrow’s planning application What went wrong? made in May 2020. The objections to the proposals (254) vastly outweigh by JOHN HORROCKS the expressions of support (12). Redrow have failed to convince the Roehampton community that their Redrow have decided to withdraw “Have Redrow taken on more than plans are sound and appropriate for from the agreement they entered they can chew in Roehampton?” an the Alton Estate. into in 2017 with Wandsworth article in Roehampton Voice (Winter Borough Council - to be the council’s 2018) asked. The Putney Society, as the amenity development partner in the scheme society for Putney and Roehampton, to ”regenerate” the central area of the In June 2018, a big display of has written to Cllr Ravi Govindia, Alton Estate. This is a major blow to plans organised by Redrow held in the Leader of Wandsworth Borough the council’s ambitious plan for the the Cornerstone (the Parish Hall) Council, to urge that the Redrow Estate, and leaves the council in a indicated, for the first time, the design plans for the redevelopment of very awkward position. proposals that Redrow were working the centre of the Alton Estate be up. The inspiration for their plans abandoned and a fresh approach be How did this come about? Why seemed to be the borough council’s adopted for the regeneration scheme. has Redrow decided they cannot Doddington Estate in Battersea Park The Society criticised the plans for continue with the scheme? Road, with its tall, regimented blocks failing to meet Zero Carbon targets of flats set over podium-deck parking and encroaching on green space, Think back, three years ago, when the provision below. You had to look very and instead recommended that extra council announced that Redrow had closely at Redrow’s plans to find that floors be added to existing low-rise been selected to partner the council 9-storey blocks of flats were being blocks. in this enormous redevelopment. proposed for the Alton Estate. ”Who are Redrow?” people asked. Earlier this year, the coronavirus “What have they done in our borough The “regeneration” scheme had pandemic hit the property before?” ”Why hasn’t one of the big clearly changed significantly from development world hard and created well-known development companies what had, previously, been intended challenging financial problems for all been given the job?” It was significant for the Alton Estate - as set out in the developers. Too many problems for that the council gave the people of council’s earlier Alton Master Plan and some, it seems. When Cllr Govindia Roehampton no explanation for this Supplementary Planning Document. selected Redrow as the council’s curious choice of developer. It was probably at this point that development partner, he was Redrow lost the support of people clearly taking a gamble. Gamblers The challenges of handling such a in Roehampton for the regeneration sometimes win, sometimes they lose. big redevelopment scheme are well concept - as it was working out under beyond the capabilities of our staff- Redrow. Just look at the response He lost! reduced borough council. That is why a commercial developer partner is The new block of council flats being built on Bessborough Road, Alton East needed - to provide the broad range of experience, back-up and skills in development which our council lacks.