‘ALTERNATIVE’ PLANS FOR CENTRAL HILL ESTATE TO BE UNVEILED – AS LAMBETH SCRAP PLANS TO SHOW THEIR OWN SCHEME
ALTERNATIVE plans to Lambeth council’s draconian moves to demolish Central Hill estate will be on display to the public tomorrow (Saturday) – the same day Lambeth council planned to publish their plans for the estate.
It was only on Tuesday evening Lambeth announced that their plans – rumoured to involve the demolition of the entire estate and its replacement with nine to twelve-storey blocks of flats – would NOT be going on display.
Lambeth’s withdrawal comes as Architects for Social Housing – whose alternative plans WILL be on display, say:
- Lambeth’s own surveyor has estimated the cost of refurbishment of the estate at £18.5 million.
- In contrast, the cost of rebuilding the existing homes, without adding a single additional unit, has been estimated by one of Lambeth’s own regeneration architects at around £120 million.
In a message inviting people to their event tomorrow (Saturday) Architects for Social Housing say Lambeth council have:
- ignored the Central Hill estate community
- cancelled their (Lambeth’s) own exhibition of proposals by PRP “architects for the demolition of the estate”
- pushed back the final decision on the demolition of the estate to this June
In a separate post, Save Central Hill Community say Lambeth have now said that they wish to meet with ASH privately – but that ASH do not accept this approach and have stated that they will not do business behind closed doors.
Save Central Hill Community also say:
- Plans have been shown and then ‘taken off the table’.
- Lambeth won’t share financial models.
In a post they add: “It has now been announced by the Resident Engagement Panel (we have heard nothing official from Lambeth) that the consultation events in February 2016 have been cancelled.
“The only explanation given is that ‘they [Lambeth] are not ready’. “We can’t help but wonder if recent support for the estate in the national press may have something to do with this…
“Lambeth have also told the Resident Engagement Panel that the decision on Central Hill has again been put back – to June 2016.
“Central Hill estate has now been in ‘consultation’ since December 2014. “Residents haven’t been shown a single plan or drawing for the proposed regeneration. “There hasn’t been an estate wide drop in or workshop since 28th March 2015.
“Residents remain in the dark and in deep uncertainty about their futures while the regeneration continues to hang over their heads.
“Meanwhile the REP have been working very hard to try and get information from Lambeth, there have been delays and excuses.
“Plans have been shown and then ‘taken off the table’. “Lambeth won’t share financial models. “This makes it impossible for the REP to give a clear picture to residents of what is happening.
“These are tactics that have been seen in other regeneration schemes – confuse residents and wear them out!”
