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.

Glebe fire damage and mess still not sorted

We have been chasing Lambeth Living and Lambeth Council, which has ultimate responsibility, to make the necessary repairs to The Glebe, sheltered housing, on Prentis Road following the fire next door two weeks ago.

A number of windows were cracked and broken and have been boarded up. The guttering was also completely melted, and the fence next door was badly burned and charred.

The residents were able to stay in their homes. But two weeks later their windows are still boarded up and the large pile of melted and twisted guttering is still there outside their doors. A foul burning smell remains in the air as a result.

This is simply not good enough for residents in their Eighties and Nineties. Lambeth Council leader Lib Peck was very quick to issue a statement of following the fire, saying:

“We are doing all we can to help and support people in Streatham who’ve been affected by the fire."

The rhetoric has not been matched by action.

Local people will be aware that The Glebe, although in an excellent state of repair apart from the recent fire damage to one section, has been earmarked for demolition by the Council, as they want to redevelop the site.

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.

Update on state of The Glebe following today's fire

The fire following the explosion today next door to The Glebe was fierce, and the smoke could be seen for miles.

In the aftermath, the severity of the heat is also now clear.

This picture shows the remnants of the shed in which the explosion took place. The roof has gone completely.

The fire melted the gutter completely at the top of one side of The Glebe, and quite a few of the windows on that side have been cracked. Door frames have blistered around the fire front doors that each property has, as well.

The police kicked the doors in and evacuated the 25 residents on that side of the Glebe, but the other residents were able to stay safely in their apartments. The only casualty appears to have been a policeman who was burned by a piece of falling melted guttering.

The residents who were moved out hope to be back later this evening in their apartments, after the necessary repairs have been made to windows and doors which are still going on now (7.15pm). And despite everything, everyone is in very good spirits!

Explosion and fire next to the Glebe on Prentis Road

At around 12.20pm today there was an explosion next to The Glebe on Prentis Road, at the back of the shops on Streatham High Road.

Flames were seen going up the back of apartments in The Glebe - which is sheltered housing for 60 residents in their eighties and nineties - with large clouds of black smoke rising around fifty feet.

The fire could be seen raging from the St Leonard's Churchyard (picture shows the view from St Leonard's churchyard across the Andrews car park with Glebe apartments on the left).

It seems that the explosion did not take place in The Glebe itself, but at the back of the sheltered housing, just beyond the wall of the car park behind Andrews Estate agents where there are some sheds. Smoke was also coming out the Polish shop Bartek.

Fire and police services were quickly in attendance, and cordoned off Streatham High Road at the St Leonard's Junction, as well as surrounding roads as far away as Tooting Bec Gardens.

Susan Dench, who is the warden of The Glebe, sent a communication to say that all The Glebe residents seemed to be alright, although one was being treated for shock. They were not initially evacuated, but remained in the communal area while the emergency services attended the incident.

(update 2.07pm) The cause has been suggested to be an explosion of gas canisters. (There was initital speculation that water turned off in the area yesterday afternoon and evening might have contributed to a boiler exploding).

Fire engines accessed the fire from Prentis Road while police cleared the surrounding streets.

[2.55 Update from the Fire Service:

"Some storage sheds behind the shop (which is on Central Parade) caught fire and the blaze spread to the ground floor of the shop. Twenty five residents were evacuated from a care home (sic) on Prentis Road which backs onto the row of shops.

"A man was treated by paramedics from London Ambulance Service for minor burns to his hands, and two others were treated for shock and smoke inhalation respectively.

"Station Manager Martin Corbett, from Clapham fire station, was at the scene. He said:

"Firefighters worked hard in very hot conditions to bring the fire under control. The blaze started in some storage sheds and then spread to part of the ground floor of the shop. The blaze caused a lot of smoke, but fortunately it is now under control."

"Six fire engines from West Norwood, Norbury, Tooting, and Clapham fire stations went to the scene with 35 firefighters and officers. The Brigade was called at 1220 and the fire was under control at 1408."

"The cause of the fire is under investigation."]

Police began to cordon off Prentis Road after the arrival of the first fire engine, seen here at the entrance to The Glebe on Prentis Road.

Fire and police services attend Bartek as smoke begins to emerge.

The smoke could be seen from Prentis Road, although The Glebe is set back around 20 metres from the road and the fire was on the far side of The Glebe apartments.

Police gradually extend the cordons out to incorporate Streatham High Road and the surrounding area.

Question to the London Mayor regarding The Glebe

Following the presentation of the petition to Lambeth Council about proposed demolition of The Glebe Sheltered Housing, Green London Assembly Member Darren Johnson has tabled the following question to the London Mayor, Boris Johnson. It will help raise awareness of the issue, but also try to begin to move the debate towards finding alternatives to Lambeth Council's proposals.

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?

I also met with Glebe residents again this morning to discuss the next steps in the campaign.

Glebe petition presented to Lambeth Council

We went with Mollie and Barbara - two residents from The Glebe sheltered housing on Prentis Road - to Lambeth Town Hall yesterday to hand over the petition to stop the Glebe being knocked down and redeveloped as extra care housing.

We also met with Council leader Lib Peck for an hour, and discussed the resident's concerns.

The petition now has over 1,600 signatures, and the campaign has now grown and become Lambeth wide. You can see the latest report on the front page of today's South London Press (Streatham edition).

For background to the campaign, you can see this blog and and press coverage here.

The campaign is ongoing and you can still sign the online petition here.

Update on the campaign to save The Glebe on Prentis Road

The South London Press have now run a front-page story on the campaign to Save The Glebe, on Prentis Road. (You can see the background to the campaign here).

The picture is of some of The Glebe residents we have been working with, which was taken after we met with them again last week.

Lots of local shops and businesses have now taken our 'Save the Glebe' posters and petition. The signatures on the online and paper petitions combined have now passed the 1,000 mark, which is fantastic.

We are pleased also to report that two out of three local Lib Dem councillors have now agreed to support the campaign. (Glebe residents say they initially approached them a few months ago, but sadly they did nothing to help).

The deadline to respond to Lambeth Council's consultation on their plans is 7th June. So if you haven't already done so, please sign the online petition here.

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.