Public meeting to raise questions over housing in Lambeth

There is an opportunity to question Lambeth Council decision makers over housing issues at a public meeting to be held on Thursday 20th September.

The council has invited contributions from residents at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to be held in room B6, Lambeth Town Hall at 7pm.

Issues expected to be covered include:
* Major works
* resident engagement
* private rented sector

Residents win campaign to save their sheltered housing from demolition

Campaigning resident: Deidre Shaw

Elderly residents of Macintosh Court sheltered housing in Leigham Court Road, Streatham, have won the campaign to save their homes from demolition.

Lambeth Council had planned to demolish 45 flats and sell the land for development - along with another sheltered housing estate, Queenswood Court, in Gipsy Hill. Residents of both estates have been told this month their homes will be saved - and refurbished instead.

The announcement came three days after the Green Party came within 36 votes of winning Gipsy Hill ward from Labour in a council by-election.

"Three and a half years of stress and worry are now over," said 66-year-old Deidre Shaw, who helped lead the campaign against demolition. "It's a great relief, but we've kept going and refused to take No for an answer."

The campaign to save Macintosh Court - previously called 269 Leigham Court Road - was supported by Streatham's Green Party councillor Scott Ainslie and its original architect Kate Macintosh, together with organisations including Architects for Social Housing, the 20th Century Society, Open-City, and Docomo Inernational.

"Scott's support has been a morale-booster. And to have qualified, informed, like-minded people supporting us has been amazing," said Deidre.

The campaign received widespread press coverage and earlier this month was part of London-wide Open Garden Estates weekend.

A key factor in the residents' success was securing Grade II listed building status for Macintosh Court, which is a rare example of 1970s "Brutalist" arrchitecture in a domestic setting.

Ironically, neglect by Lambeth Council over several decades, may have contributed too the listing by English Heritage in 2015; none of the estates' original features, such as wooden window frames, had been replaced.

In its letter to residents, Lambeth says its change of heart was due to revised estimates of the number of older people living in the south of the borough, inability to find a suitable site in Streatham to develop an "extra care" scheme, and the listed building status of Macintosh Court.

The recommendation to refurbish instead of demolish is due for approval by Lambeth Council's Cabinet on 11th July.

"It's not over yet," says Deidre, hugging her beloved cat Poppy. "If Lambeth ratify the decision on 11th July, then we'll allow ourselves to breathe a sigh of relief."

In 2013 The Green Party's Scott Ainslie and Jonathan Bartley helped save The Glebe sheltered housing from demolition.

 

Sheltered Housing saved in Streatham

There was some great news yesterday, when residents at The Glebe on Prentis Road received letters from Lambeth Council telling them that plans had been scrapped to knock down the sheltered housing where they live.

I took over a bottle of champagne, and we celebrated together (picture to the left). Some were quite tearful with joy. All were hugely relieved.

The decision followed a nine-month campaign. The residents came to us after they received our literature through their doors asking if there was anything we could help them with, and local councillors had failed to do anything to help.

We made posters for them which went into local shops, we helped them collect over 1,600 signatures on a petition, raised the issue with the Mayor of London (thanks to London Assembly member Darren Johnson), spoke at public meetings and took residents to meet Lambeth Council leader Lib Peck. There was also some good, constant press and media coverage of the campaign. (You can see some of the details here)

Lambeth announced plans at the beginning of the year to 'reorganise' its sheltered housing right across the borough, after what it admits has been years of under investment. Several schemes are to be sold off to make money. Other schemes are to be demolished and rebuilt as "extra care" housing, which many older people (such as those in The Glebe who have made trips to visit it at other locations) feel will increase their dependency and institutionalise them. It will certainly destroy the community that they have created.

The Glebe is actually in very good condition, being only 35 years old. The decision seemed to have been made on the basis that Lambeth Council decided that it wanted "extra care" housing in Streatham, and the Glebe was considered the right size. Despite the condition of the building, the unanimous opposition from residents wishes it would be flattened and rebuilt.

The situation was made worse for the residents when there was an explosion and fire next door in July. This broke windows along one side of The Glebe, and destroyed the guttering at the top. Lambeth Council promised to fix this quickly. But in the end residents were left by the Council for weeks with boarded up windows in the stifling heat, and water pouring down the side of the building when it rained. It looked as if Lambeth really didn't care about the existing buildings or the residents.

However, yesterday we learned that Lambeth Council has agreed instead to consult about finding a different site in Streatham to build their extra care scheme (one location could for example be the derelict site near Streatham Common opposite the new hub development). Glebe residents will instead be given new kitchens, windows and bathrooms. Some of the flats may also be made more accessible, as we suggested during the consultation.

Things like this should be possible right across the borough, as we have shown that Lambeth has received over £100m available to improve its sheltered housing. But the Council intends instead to push ahead with its plans elsewhere in the borough. Sites will still be sold off are Leigham Court Road, Queenswood Court, Westcott House and McCall House. Denby Court, Elderberry Grove and Fitch Court will still be demolished and rebuilt as extra care schemes. This is because, as the Council's new report states, it wants to spend this money elsewhere and instead raise an additional £10m, with older people paying the price.

There will be a demonstration by Glebe residents and others outside the Town Hall on Monday 4th November from 6,00pm, when the Cabinet meets to formally approve the new plans. All are very welcome to join in.

Lambeth Council has received £100.5m to improve sheltered housing

We asked if Green London Assembly member Darren Johnson would table a question to the London Mayor about the Glebe (Sheltered Housing on Prentis Road), and Lambeth's proposals (following the consultation) to knock the Glebe down and redevelop it.

The Glebe of course, is in excellent condition, and Lambeth only want to knock it down because they want to use the site. But
this was the response, which shows that Lambeth have many options having received £100.5m from the London Mayor to being sheltered housing across the borough up to standard.

Sheltered housing in Lambeth

Question No: 2392 / 2013

Darren Johnson

Will you write to the London Borough of Lambeth urging them not to evict 60 residents - some of whom are terminally ill - from The Glebe sheltered housing in Streatham, splitting the residents up and moving them away from the local area? Will you also explore how your housing budget can be used to support Lambeth in bringing its sheltered housing up to the Decent Homes standard, and to provide new extra care facilities without affecting residents of existing sheltered housing?

Written response from the Mayor

The Glebe is one of 24 schemes in a proposed programme of redevelopment to improve older persons provision in Lambeth. The full consultation has only recently been completed and no decisions have been made.

The Decent Homes budget for London is £821 million and Lambeth received the highest allocation: £100.5 million to bring homes up to the Decent Homes standard. The Borough has also been able to bid for funds under my Housing Covenant programmes.

Please sign the petition to stop elderly residents being pushed out of The Glebe sheltered housing

Please take a few seconds to sign this petition to stop elderly residents being removed from their homes in The Glebe at the top of Prentis Road.

The residents – many in their Eighties and Nineties – contacted us last week and asked us if we would help support their campaign to stay where they live. We went to visit them and heard about was is going on.

Lambeth Council is proposing to evict them in order to knock The Glebe down and redevelop it as ‘Extra Care’ housing. This is part of a Lambeth wide scheme in which housing for older persons will be sold off.

This is something to which the residents of The Glebe are unanimously opposed. Under the Council’s proposals the 60 residents - some of whom are terminally ill - would be split up and placed in accommodation outside Streatham. Many have lived in The Glebe for over a decade.

Residents have told us how happy they are with their homes and the facilities there. Many have invested their own time and money. They love where they live. Above all they value these sense of community, where they look after and support one other. Under the Council’s plans this would all be taken away and they will be dispersed to other parts of the borough.

They also pointed out that moving them to alternative accommodation at their stage in life, particularly given many of their health concerns, would also have very serious consequences.

They asked up to start an online petition, which we have done, and help get public support so that they can stay where they are. There is a public consultation going on so there is a real chance to stop this happening. Please take just a few seconds to sign the petition online to show Lambeth Council that the local community supports their desire to stay in their own homes.

The petition can be found here.