CENTRAL HILL DEMOLITION DECISION NEXT THURSDAY – anger on social media
Plans by Lambeth council to demolish Central Hill estate are set to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of its cabinet next Thursday.
The announcement follows the issue being highlighted on ITV’s London news on Tuesday (14th) when residents living on the estate were interviewed by reporter Ryan Ramgobin.
Next week’s meeting, which starts at 5pm, is being held in a community centre in Vauxhall – almost at the other end of the borough from where Central Hill estate is.
Going by public transport from Central Hill involves two long bus rides, one to Brixton and then getting an 88 bus to the Tate (South Lambeth) library stop on South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall.
The arrival of letters / emails to people living on the estate about the meeting has already prompted a wave of comments on the Save Central Hill Community Facebook page:
Karen Bennett posted:
According to Lambeth, 49 per cent of the 300 residents contacted by them WANT demolition and rebuild. We have ONE WEEK to refute this allegation and present contradictory evidence to cabinet. If you do NOT want the estate demolished but have not completed either of the surveys, please contact me NOW….. (phone number withheld – Ed.) for survey forms and have your views detailed on our spreadsheet.
If you are one of the 150 households who DO want demolition, please let me know so we can update the data we hold. Unlike Lambeth, we are trying to present a fair reflection of what the residents ACTUALLY want. No time to lose, contact myself or Nicola Curtis TODAY.
Nicola Curtis: They gave the number to call on the letter to book and when you get through they said can I send an email. No I can’t – why put the phone number?
Typical of Lambeth she did then register my interest by phone and asked what I was going to speak about.
My answer- lots of stuff as I’m the chair of the residents association and a member of the so called engagement panel.
Katie Wrigley: Confirmation of our decision date definitely 23rd March and that the only option being considered is full rebuild…of course we knew this already but I find it harsh seeing it written down formally 😔
Caroline Bromilow: Sad times – no prizes for guessing the outcome, they basically decided two years ago… ☹️
Andrew Sherman: Interesting wording in the letter. When is a guarantee not a guarantee? When Lambeth claim that They can guarantee a “new, much better home on the estate”. You can’t give a guarantee on that. It’s just PR bull****.
Glen Searle: They’re not guarantees as there’s no body backing it.
Tina Elizabeth Cray-Turner: I got mine. Wish I had not I was going to do an exchange to move might not be able to now just want to downsize and get near family
Alexis Caballero: Once they knock it you can still do that Hun. I’m in a 1 bed with my 2 year old son I need to upsize
Christine Patton: The demolition/rebuild is going to take years. You may not be moved for almost a decade, depending on which end of the estate you live on.
Also, be aware that the tenancies on the new estate are *not* secure council tenancies. I’m not sure whether house swapping will still work the way it does now – does anyone else know?
In interviews with ITV residents said it would take up to 15 years to move into new homes, rents would be 25 per cent higher with higher service charges and higher council tax and secure tenancies would be lost.
Cliff Grant – a well-known, likeable character in the Upper Norwood area – told ITN news that moving into the estate in the 1970’s had been like a breath of fresh air. Later, after interviews with other residents, he was asked a further question.
In a moving moment, with tears in his eyes, Cliff found himself unable to respond.
ITN quoted Lambeth as saying “Lambeth council says Central Hill requires expenditure they cannot afford.”
Further comments on Facebook include:
Sian Berry: Is this grab posted anywhere on twitter? ITV are useless at putting their reports online but it’s brilliant – really well done all interviewees!
Joanne Parkes: Brilliant coverage, well done Central Hill friends. I just wish the reporter could have addressed/done more to debunk the council’s ‘helping the housing crisis’ lies
Béatrice Betty Mayéras: Oh Cliff got to me ! Bless himJoanne Parkes: There were moist eyes here too
Ryan Ramgobin: Hi all, we’ve posted the video online here –https://www.facebook.com/ITVLondon/videos/10154393913707944/
- Lengthy reports to next week’s cabinet meeting claim that it would cost £44,000 to repair EACH home on the estate – but without any supporting evidence to back those figures up.These lengthy reports also continue to perpetuate the (already debunked) myth of 23,000 on the council’s housing waiting list.But the recent decision by planning committee chairman Clair Wilcox* at the Carnegie library planning meeting – also held at the Bowley Close community centre – that people can make political points when supporting or objecting to a planning application SHOULD mean that people speaking against the move will be able to highlight such matters.
*CARNEGIE LIBRARY – VIEW FROM THE GALLERY This website, February 9th 2017