Lambeth's plans to demolish Cressingham Gardens and other estates without the consent of residents

[ViolentPanda]

I'd forgotten all about the Lambeth Living 30 week programme of repairs that was due to start on 15 February. Any sign of this yet? It seems odd to be investing in the repairs when we now know what the intention was all along.

Since you wrote this on 02/03/15, the sum total of "works" appear to be the (4 weeks and ongoing) snail-paced (sorry, snails. No insult meant!) re-paving, which is about 30-40% complete. Yes, it's actually very well-installed paving, a rather better effort than the "remove broken slab, chuck a spadeful of sand down, put new slab down" practices Lambeth's contractors have previously used, but at this pace I'm not convinced that the pavers will be home for Christmas this year!

 

[299 old timer]

I noticed yesterday (around 7.30 evening time) that all the postings on the Tulse Hill side had been very deliberately taken down. Whoever did it left all the the plastic ties on the street. It looked pretty coordinated, nothing was left.

 

[Greebo]

I noticed yesterday (around 7.30 evening time) that all the postings on the Tulse Hill side had been very deliberately taken down. <snip>

Thanks for letting me know. AFAIK most of those were cut down and removed on Friday morning - just didn't have time to immediately replace them, and there was too much wind.

I'm fairly sure that it's not an estate worker (or similar), or they'd be in trouble for not sweeping up the ties after cutting them. Anyway, more are up now. More will be made, more will go up, and more will keep going up.

 

[Gniewosz]

Heard from one resident that it is actually Lambeth Living directing the signs & banners to be cut down. They saw the people and asked them.

 

[Greebo]

Heard from one resident that it is actually Lambeth Living directing the signs & banners to be cut down. <snip>

Thank you. In that case, more are going up whenever. Wherever. For as long as this situation lasts.

And I suggest that anyone who's able to make and fix even one banner (or who can find somebody to fix it for them) - no party politics, legally dodgy stuff, or hatemongering, please - does likewise for this campaign.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Heard from one resident that it is actually Lambeth Living directing the signs & banners to be cut down. They saw the people and asked them.

Have just written to all 3 of our councillors about this, reminding them that there's no provision in either the parks byelaws (for the parkside posters) or the Tenant's Handbook under which they can remove stuff, and that if they're claiming that it's anti-social behaviour (i.e. vandalism), that they've been blithely sticking up "Garages for Rent" signs (not just fastened to railings with cable ties - some stapled or pinned onto trees, FFS!) on estates across the borough, including Cressingham Gardens. Vandalism indeed!

 

[editor]

Here's a statement from Cressingham campaigners

Brixton Fightback concert and the Save Cressingham Gardens campaign

 

[299 old timer]

Bumped into a good friend of my daughter over the weekend - her mum used to live on Cressingham, she said there are still many old people living there - raise the alarm and let everyone know what this evil council intends.

edit: I truly suspect that prime real estate Cressingham is the beginning, then others will follow - prove me wrong in 10 years time

 

[ViolentPanda]

Bumped into a good friend of my daughter over the weekend - her mum used to live on Cressingham, she said there are still many old people living there - raise the alarm and let everyone know what this evil council intends.

edit: I truly suspect that prime real estate Cressingham is the beginning, then others will follow - prove me wrong in 10 years time

Lambeth already have 5 other estates in the "regeneration" pipeline - Central Hill; Knights' Walk; Fenwick; South Lambeth and Westbury. All reasonably "prime" locations if the main idea for "regeneration" is slash and burn.
And yep, Cressingham has about 10% more elderly and 10% more disabled residents than the Lambeth average.

E2A: Thing is, out of the six, perhaps only the Fenwick isn't medium to high density, so how it's proposed to squeeze a thousand new homes out across the estates is puzzling. Cressingham and Central Hill look low density, but are actually illegally high-density by modern standards - good design means that they don't look high-density. Knights' Walk is physically small and the other two are low-rise and high-rise, so unless parking and green space are to be totally eliminated from both, I really don't get where "1,000 new homes" are coming from,except maybe from Cllr Matthew Bennett's arse.

 

[leanderman]

Quite mad to try to squeeze new homes on to existing estates.

And the gains are minimal. 50 flats here or there.

What other (realistic) options are there for building council stock?

 

[editor]

Quite mad to try to squeeze new homes on to existing estates.

And the gains are minimal. 50 flats here or there.

What other (realistic) options are there for building council stock?

The Pop Brixton site could have accommodated a handsome amount of council homes. Instead, we get hubs, bars, yet more restaurants and NZ wine importers.

 

[leanderman]

The Pop Brixton site could have accommodated a handsome amount of council homes. Instead, we get hubs, bars, yet more restaurants and NZ wine importers.

It is scheduled as housing though.

 

[editor]

It is scheduled as housing though.

And Pop Brixton was supposed to be Grow Brixton.

 

[leanderman]

We've gone through this already.

I wanted to know what scope there was for building council homes in and around Brixton.

(Under the existing system of rules and restraints)

 

[ViolentPanda]

Quite mad to try to squeeze new homes on to existing estates.

And the gains are minimal. 50 flats here or there.

I've looked at the estates targeted. The density for the acreage pretty much doesn't even give "50 flats here or there" unless we're talking cramped-together ranks of barrack blocks on each estate. That sort of design won't appeal to the private buyers Lambeth want to target.

What other (realistic) options are there for building council stock?

For Lambeth? Brownfield is about the only choice, given that most local authorities had to sell off their landbanks to private developers after Major's govt legislated yet another selling of public silver.
Of course, we could always expropriate some of those sites from their private owners, but I don't think that the state would take that very well.

 

[ViolentPanda]

It is scheduled as housing though.

Eventually, and as the old saw goes: "there's many a slip twixt cup and lip".

 

[Gniewosz]

Quite mad to try to squeeze new homes on to existing estates.

And the gains are minimal. 50 flats here or there.

What other (realistic) options are there for building council stock?

Currys on top of Halfords, and then there is a large free car park that is not used very for much that can be used for building homes.
Allow for mansard conversions where there there are large attic areas (e.g. Tulse Hill estate). This is a very favoured form of conversion in Berlin and homes much sort after.
Buy homes with large backyards and then convert.
Put major roads underground and then build on top (e.g. Barbican)

 

[leanderman]

Currys on top of Halfords, and then there is a large free car park that is not used very for much that can be used for building homes.
Allow for mansard conversions where there there are large attic areas (e.g. Tulse Hill estate). This is a very favoured form of conversion in Berlin and homes much sort after.
Buy homes with large backyards and then convert.
Put major roads underground and then build on top (e.g. Barbican)

Tesco Acre Lane has to be a prime candidate.

Of course, with all this in-filling we'd also need to find sites for more schools and surgeries etc.

And better transport links.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Put major roads underground and then build on top (e.g. Barbican)

Almost happened (partially) in central Brixton in the early '70s as part of the big "tower blocks, flyovers and subways" re-imagining.

 

[RubyToogood]

Some photos of the Central Hill estate, showing the appalling living conditions of the tenants:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.773391852774151&type=1

 

[Greebo]

Some photos of the Central Hill estate, showing the appalling living conditions of the tenants:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.773391852774151&type=1

Tldr; it looks like the type of place that most people would love to live longterm.

You have to sign into FB to see those photos. For the benefit of those who can't or won't, the pictures who how dishonest the grounds for regeneration are; the estate looks pleasant, is adequately lit (or would be if the lighting's well maintained), has places for children to play, airy and light flats, plenty of green space which is open to all, great views, safe places to sit outside, the steps are safe enough...

 

[leanderman]

Almost happened (partially) in central Brixton in the early '70s as part of the big "tower blocks, flyovers and subways" re-imagining.

Sounds expensive and unlikely.

 

[High Definition]

Sounds expensive and unlikely.

There are quite a number of sites across Brixton where new housing is planned, including some sites owned by Lambeth and public bodies. The real problem I think is that very little will be affordable for ordinary people.

Off the top of my head I can think of

Your Nu Town Hall (Hambrook House, Ivor House, Olive Morris House) - planning application in for 194 flats of which 55 (less than 30%) will be affordable rented.

Somerleyton Road - another Council development - can't remember the numbers but we're told 50% will be affordable

Brixton Central (International House, the ice rink site, Network Rail land in the middle) - will include housing as well as shops, but no numbers yet

Thames Water land behind Brixton Windmill - very big site, no plans yet, but rumoured that Thames Water looking to develop for housing

Then there are all the Lambeth office buildings which will be vacated when staff move to the new Civic Building - including Phoenix House at Vauxhall which is Lambeth-owned - some of them might be developed for residential.

 

[299 old timer]

Tesco Acre Lane has to be a prime candidate.

Sainsbury's Brixton Water Lane. I still struggle to understand how this got planning permission when there is one just along the road on Brixton Hill, two within a stone's throw in Brixton itself, and another fair sized one up the top of Brixton Hill.

 

[Winot]

Thames Water land behind Brixton Windmill - very big site, no plans yet, but rumoured that Thames Water looking to develop for housing

As some here will remember, there was a campaign to build a secondary school on that land a few years ago. The school was opened at the top of Tulse Hill instead (City Heights).

 

[Rushy]

Sainsbury's Brixton Water Lane. I still struggle to understand how this got planning permission when there is one just along the road on Brixton Hill, two within a stone's throw in Brixton itself, and another fair sized one up the top of Brixton Hill.

It didn't need permission.
I use it a lot. Never use the "local" one on The Hill.

 

[CH1]

Tesco Acre Lane has to be a prime candidate.

Only if you arrange for us to have an Aldi somewhere in Brixton Central.

 

[Crispy]

As some here will remember, there was a campaign to build a secondary school on that land a few years ago. The school was opened at the top of Tulse Hill instead (City Heights).

I thought the Windmill land was a covered-over reservoir (much like the one off Palace Road on top of the hill). Must be challenging to build on.

 

[Winot]

I thought the Windmill land was a covered-over reservoir (much like the one off Palace Road on top of the hill). Must be challenging to build on.

Yes, some of it is reservoir, but there is quite a lot that isn't iirc.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Sounds expensive and unlikely.

It would have been expensive, but given the amount of housing that was CPOd at the time, the Brixton Redevelopment Plan (as was) could have happened in part or full, and although flyovers were favoured, underground roads were considered given local geology. Fortunately, Southwyck House and Brixton Rec were about all that got built.