New Homes concerns (Mar 2018)
For the last three years Southwark Council has been scouring the borough for places to build new homes. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before they turned their attention to Bells Gardens. London has a housing crisis and Southwark made it their goal to address this by building 11,000 new homes by 2043.
This is a worthy goal and an ambitious one, but we must ask ‘where’, ‘what’ and ‘how’. To their credit, Southwark consulted on these issues and came up with six rules to make sure we citizens have a say in where they chose to build, what kind of homes are built, how the building process is managed and how well the new homes are constructed and maintained. Bells Gardens TRA wants to make sure we hold the Council to their rules and that our concerns are heard.
This is the area where Southwark Council want to build new homes.
Community Centre
The Council have promised there will be no loss of amenity, so before knocking down the community centre they will build a new one or provide temporary amenities until a new centre is built. We are not sure how they will achieve this. Where in the proposed area will they put a second community centre? What will happen to the playground and football pitch in the interim?
Antisocial behaviour
Our councillors fully acknowledge that Bells Gardens has a problem with antisocial behaviour. This must be addressed before the additional homes make the estate more densely populated. A critical problem is that Edwin House has no doors. Rough sleepers, drug pushers and prostitutes can and do come and go freely in Edwin House, and the whole estate suffers. The TRA have an ongoing campaign to have secure doors installed in Edwin House. With all the funding coming in for new homes and a new community centre, the plan should at a minimum include new doors for Edwin House. Other blocks have out of date doors that are frequently broken into (in particular Hastings close). The new homes will likely have the latest security, so the other blocks on the estate should be brought in line.
Community integration
Will the people who move into the new homes consider themselves part of our community? Given the likely disparity in the quality of the new homes and existing homes, there is the potential for division in the community. Southwark Council promise that at least 50% of the new homes will go to either people on the estate or people living nearby. This is another promise we will need to monitor closely.
Shared ownership
Southwark Council may want to offer a number of the new homes for shared ownership to cover the cost of a new community centre. The new homes fund only covers residences, so money for the centre must come from elsewhere. Concerns have been raised about offering homes for shared ownership, not least that it removes units from the pool available for council tenants. We want the council to look into other ways of funding our community centre.
Loss of light
The Wilmot Close block already has poor light due to its position in relation to the sun. Since this block borders the area for new homes, we want any plans to take this into account and avoid blocking the light to Wilmot Close.
Having our voices heard
A frequent refrain in discussions about the proposed new homes is, “Our opinions do not matter.” Despite assurances from Southwark Council, there is a common belief that plans to build new homes will proceed regardless of input from residents. We have a number of means available to us to make ourselves heard. If the council approve the Bells Gardens project (to date it looks like they will) then there will be community meetings to discuss the design of the new homes. Second, before any building takes place they must obtain planning permission, which is again subject to public comments. Finally, our ward councillors, while they must support the 11,000 new home goal, have an interest in being seen to represent local voices in this matter.
For the TRA, our priority is mobilising residents to engage in the process. We must recruit new, active members to make sure we have large numbers attending any community meetings about the new homes. Despite an air of scepticism about whether our voices will be heard, if we do not speak then we can be certain no one will hear us.
As Chair, I encourage readers to get involved in the TRA and to encourage their neighbours to do the same. You can find our meeting times posted on noticeboards around the estate, here on our website at or on our
.