Lambeth's plans to demolish Cressingham Gardens and other estates without the consent of residents
- Thread starter Brixton Hatter
- Start date
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Here's how the estate looks today
View attachment 310860
In photos: Roofs ripped off Cressingham Gardens estate as Storm Eunice hits south London
Several roofs on the Cressingham Gardens housing estate in south London were completely ripped off today as Storm Eunice wreaked havoc across south east England.www.brixtonbuzz.com
Yep. 19 roofs off on Friday (including mine), with others unsafe. The one in your pic was put back on this morning by Fahey Roofing. It came tumbling down again at about 4pm These idiots just screwed the metal roof down onto the joists. They should have removed the roof, and deployed tarps & sandbags, which would have prevented the wind getting under the lip of the roof. It's not like Fahey Roofing have any skill in working on metal roofs. They're just cowboys with friends in the Town Hall.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Back when Steve Reed was council leader, a decision was made to discontinue cyclical maintenance on our roofs - before then they were inspected & maintained once a year, plus whenever a roof was damaged - and to go over to a "responsive repairs" modality. Before this, we had no major roof failures, even in 1987. After this decision, we've had roof failures in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 & 2022. This isn't a materials failure because, as you can see from the ed's photo, the zinc panels have stayed "stitched" together.
We'll probably also see the council trying to fob us off with the cheapest permanent solution, which is GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic). Where they used it elsewhere on Cressingham in 2018, it's already failing.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
The "weathertight" repairs that Fahey Roofing did on Sunday - essentially they NAILED DOWN some tarpaulins - were as much use a chocolate teapot, as they didn't stretch the tarps taut. If they'd done that then sandbagged them, it might have worked. As it was, I got water pissing in thru my light sockets Sunday evening & night, so they don't work (the wiring has shorted in the bedroom) and there's no point getting it fixed while the roof - such as it is - is made watertight.
Lambeth Council & Fahey Roofing. A marriage made in the 9th circle of Hell.
Lambeth Council & Fahey Roofing. A marriage made in the 9th circle of Hell.
Ffs ViolentPanda 
editor
hiraethified
Protest yesterday
www.brixtonbuzz.com
In photos: protest in Windrush Square against Lambeth’s estate demolition policies
Yesterday, protesters gathered in Windrush Square to voice their opposition to Lambeth’s unpopular programme of estate demolition. See more photos below and read more about the action here.
www.brixtonbuzz.com
editor
hiraethified
Excellent piece here
'It can't be sustainable': The hidden costs of demolishing council housing estates - The Big Issue
Council estate "regeneration" promises more sustainable housing for the masses - but the outcomes for people and the planet rarely match up to expectations
bigissue.com
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
One of the things about "Coop" Council Lambeth is that residents using Judicial Reviews is the only way to try and get them to consult residents properly. Rather than steam rolling through the plans they have.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Time Out have an article on this issue - London-wide listed borough by borough
These 122 council estates in London might be demolished
Thousands of homes could be knocked down for redevelopment
www.timeout.com
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Interesting goings on next door in the Labour borough of Wandsworth
londonnewsonline.co.uk
Plug pulled on Wandsworth estate regeneration as ‘simply not enough’ social housing
Wandsworth council’s new Labour administration said the number of council homes previously proposed for the Alton Estate in Roehampton is “simply not enough”.
londonnewsonline.co.uk
Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
As expected, the estate regeneration poster boy Matthew Bennett now fancies himself as the next MP for... Colchester.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I notice the local Council is a coalition of greens , Liberals and labour.
Given Bennett is ideological supporter of New Labour I am wonder what his view is on coalition government?
Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
The Colchester constituency is a target seat for Labour at any GE. The national party ploughed money into the local campaign in May with a view to raising the profile on the ground ahead of the next GE. It didn't get them very far. The LibDems are very strong at a borough level, but not so now when it comes to GE's. Bennett knows there is an opportunity in causing an upset if he gets selected as the candidate. He is after all, nothing but an opportunist.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
I thought I caught his mephitic odour as I passed thru Essex recently...
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Cressingham SuperMax!!!
So, 9 storeys facing onto Tulse Hill, 5-6 facing onto the park, but an artistic attempt to imply that they won't build as close to the park borders as possible. Bullshit! They'll leave maybe a 2 metre pathway.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
If he stands, I'm willing to visit the constituency at GE time, in order to expound on what the creepy little fucker is really like. I believe I still have a recording of him telling me he had no ambition to stand as an *MP!
*The context was that he was swanning around the developer exhibition held at Cressingham Gardens community hall, & I challenged him on the fact that he was divorced from the consequences of what he was putting in train. I told him that his actions were a transparent attempt to mark his name with "glory" "at any cost" so that when he stood as an MP, like his ex-employer Steve Reed did, he'd be able to refer back to his "triumph" in Lambeth. I think I may have mentioned Sydney Sporle, too.
CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
Not stictly relevant (within 300 miles/kM) but I spotted this social housing development in ‘s-Hertogenbosch which looked quite green and elegant in a Space1999 sort of way. I saw it in the FT, but this Twitter thread gives perhaps a better idea
Edit: Google say 300 miles:
Edit: Google say 300 miles:
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Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
HfL is dead. Long live... HfL. The Kerslake Report has recommended that Lambeth's private property company be taken back in-house. Plus a 'reset' (!) on resident engagement at Cressingham, Central Hill and Fenwick. It's only taken almost ten years of failure and millions of public funds wasted to reach this conclusion.
Will Lambeth do as they're told though?
Tricky Skills
Well-Known Member
The Cabinet report for Monday recommends taking HfL back in house. Painful reading.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Jesus this is hard hitting report. Started looking at the introduction.
HFL is a failure. The estates program is producing few extra homes and consultation has been piss poor. Leading to very low levels of trust in Council.
So campaigners on Cressingham and other estates have been proved correct.
Kerslake has gone out and talked to local residents. And taken their views seriously.
It says something about the culture of this long standing right wing Labour council that it takes a outside expert report before the views of the residents who vote for these Cllrs get taken seriously.
This has been going on for years. In case of Cressingham almost ten years.
I'm so glad for once these right wing Cllrs have been proved wrong. The general level of arrogant entitlement of senior Cllrs has been getting me down. Any form of questioning of what they and senior officers do is met with resentment.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
This made me laugh. Lambeth never give up. I see Kerslake resisted the Council attempt to choose who it consulted. Impressed by how Kerslake has gone about this,
The review panel held several meetings with different groups of residents living across the
Council’s six estates earmarked for demolition and in temporary accommodation. In terms
of selecting residents, the review panel was supported by the council's housing
management team to identify an initial group of residents to participate in consultation
meetings to help gather evidence for the review. In selecting potential residents, we advised
the LBL team that we were eager to hear from a range residents represented across the six
main estates subject to renewal. The review panel also identified residents independently
from the Council that expressed an interest in sharing views with the review panel. All
residents that contacted the review team expressing an interest to participate in the review
were invited to attend a resident meeting.
The review panel held several meetings with different groups of residents living across the
Council’s six estates earmarked for demolition and in temporary accommodation. In terms
of selecting residents, the review panel was supported by the council's housing
management team to identify an initial group of residents to participate in consultation
meetings to help gather evidence for the review. In selecting potential residents, we advised
the LBL team that we were eager to hear from a range residents represented across the six
main estates subject to renewal. The review panel also identified residents independently
from the Council that expressed an interest in sharing views with the review panel. All
residents that contacted the review team expressing an interest to participate in the review
were invited to attend a resident meeting.
editor
hiraethified
Great write up of the report here
Kerslake:
Kerslake review sinks Homes for Lambeth and recommends ballots for estate regeneration
Kerslake:
Kerslake review sinks Homes for Lambeth and recommends ballots for estate regeneration
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
"Resident engagement" on Cressingham was comprised of an "independent advisor" who knew who was paying his wages, & always took the council's side, & a "Resident Engagement Panel" chaired by the pustulent Mary Atkins, who was in favour of "regeneration" - so much so that she lied to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee", claiming that Save Cressingham Gardens campaigners had caused a "climate of fear" on the estate.
Oddly, people always answered the door when SCG knocked. The same can't be said for Mary Atkins - she was almost universally loathed here!
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Yep. Fortunately, Kerslake's team went back through regeneration-related cabinet & scrutiny meetings, & approached some who spoke out at them, which was taken badly by senior housing officers.
