FENWICK ESTATE Q&A Issued: 18th February 2016

Transcription

1 As we go through the engagement process the Council will try to answer residents' questions. One of the ways that we will try to do this is by publishing Q&A documents. This is a record of questions that have been asked by residents across Fenwick Estate. This is a working document, which we will be updating regularly and posting online. A set of these will also be updated on the website as well: If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to get in touch via: T: E: fenwick@make-good.com 1)- Why is Fenwick included in the programme? The estate is currently low density offering potential to provide new homes and some existing homes do not meet current housing standards and are in need of upgrading. This question was directly related to the 3 reasons given by Lambeth shown in the slideshow taken from here: 2)- As part of the regeneration we are having 3 infill sites and an underground parking lot. Now, my question is how come this isn t the extent of regeneration? Why does there have to be more exactly and what analysis has gone in to say that this can t be the full extent of the regeneration? The Council is committed to building 1,000 extra homes at council rent levels to deliver a new generation of homes for Lambeth s residents. These homes will be delivered over the next 4 years through a combination of initiatives, including estate regeneration, small sites development and specific housing projects. The Council also needs to look forwards to future demand, where it is predicted that more than 1,500 new homes will need to be built every year until 2025, to make sure local communities have the opportunity to stay in Lambeth and to cope with London s growing population. As you know, the Council is currently undertaking a feasibility study in consultation with residents to determine the best option for regenerating Fenwick Estate. The focus of this feasibility study and the consultation programme are to identify way to improve the quality of housing on estates and providing opportunities for new, additional homes, which goes toward meeting the new council home target, alongside the other estates identified as part of this programme. The feasibility study is yet to be concluded. With regards to the infill sites, the estate regeneration team has worked in partnership with TFL to develop 55 new council homes on the three opportunity sites on Fenwick estate. The development includes a re-providing the existing community centre, Fenwick Hall. The new homes and the community centre will be funded from the 12m, Section 106 agreement from the offsite TfL Nine Elms development. This development will form part of Phase 1 development of any proposed wider estate regeneration or redevelopment project, and alongside other homes which may be developed on the estate identified through the current Feasibility Study, will contribute towards achieving the target of 1,000 extra homes at Council rent levels across the Borough. 3)- Are most households on Fenwick below the current housing standards? Lambeth officers will prepare a response based on current information & establish status of stock condition survey. Page 1 of 8

2 4)- How much influence do residents actually have over final outcome on numbers of new homes? The aim of this process establish the number of new homes, the extent of any demolition and a residents brief. Residents can influence all of these things and the qualities of landscaping, transport, security etc. that people want to see in a new scheme. The proposals do need to be viable financially and this will influence numbers of units. 5)- Is there a target number for new homes/ increased density/ money? There is no set target but the scheme will need to be financially viable and this will be checked as design scenarios are developed through this process. 6)- Will financial modelling be made public? The Council will make it clear to residents what options are considered viable. A summary of the financial viability of options will be made available prior to any decisions being taken by the Council. 7)- Why not just refurbish everything? Lambeth council does not have the finances to carry out a refurbishment only programme on the estate. 8)- Why not sell off new homes and refurbish old ones? The aim of the programme is not to sell any of the new homes other than affording existing leaseholders the opportunity to buy back into the estate. It is part of the programme s philosophy that Lambeth is at its best when its communities are genuinely mixed and diverse. This means that they are aiming to build more homes at council rent, homes at below market rate for families in low pay and secure market rent for those unable to buy. By not selling off homes Lambeth retains a range of housing stock for a wider range of their community. 9)- Will the new homes be warmer/ quieter? The new homes will be built to current standards of building regulations with increased sound and thermal insulation. 10)- Can mapping of stock condition survey be made public? The Council will issue an Estate Investment Schedule, which will provide an indication of the estimated costs of improving existing homes to the required standard. This is partly based on the Stock Condition Survey and will be made public as part of this once completed. 11)- What is the implication of Bedroom tax re: Key Guarantees? Generally, if you are under occupying your home, your benefits and entitlement may be affected as per Housing Benefit Rules and you may be already be liable for any additional rooms that is beyond your housing needs requirement. Although the Key Guarantees would allow a tenant, if they wish, to have one extra room in additional to their housing needs. However, it does not have any power to change the rules. Therefore your entitlement would be as per prevailing Housing Benefit Rules. 12)- What is the split of Tenants & Leaseholders on Fenwick? There are 431 homes on Fenwick Estate and Willington Road feasibility red line area. It comprises of: 282 council units 18 F/H units 131 Leaseholds units Page 2 of 8

3 13)- Can the mapping of this be made public? The Tenure breakdown Block Council units Leaseholder Freeholder Cottage Grove Cottage Grove Houses Cottage Grove Fenwick Place Fenwick Place Holcombe House Lopez House Ormerod House Willet House Willington Road (odd) Willington Road - Houses Total )- Can Leaseholders (and Tenants) have a separate meeting to discuss their concerns? Yes. This meeting took place on 14/12/15 and was attended by 41 leaseholders. For more information on this meeting please contact fenwick@make-good.com or call us on Questions from that session are included in this document. 15)- What is the minimum density required increase? There is no set number that Lambeth are working to. The engagement process with residents will explore what the feasible density increase may be. 16)- What is PTAL? Public Transport Accessibility Level ( is a calculated method that uses the distance from any point to the nearest public transport stop, and service frequency at those stops. The result is a grade from 1 6 where PTAL 1 indicates very poor access by public transport, and PTAL 6 indicates excellent access by public transport. PTAL is one factor in determining the density range for a new development. 17)- What is the maximum increase and what does that look like? The London Plan tells us the maximum range is around 1274 units but this is a guide and could be higher or lower (there are currently 431). This process will look to find the appropriate number of units for the Fenwick Estate with the London Plan acting as guidance. The estate could be arranged in lots of different ways (as discussed in the density workshop) and different scenarios will be developed as to what the estate could look like. These scenarios will be discussed in Workshop 04-18/2/16. Page 3 of 8

4 18)- How will an increase in density impact on gardens and outside space, play areas and parking? This theme was explored in the Landscape workshop on the 9 th December. Details of this workshop can be found at: 19)- What about the impact on public services; doctors, schools, transport? During any planning application this impact would be explored and reported on. 20)- Can we have a say in number of units per floor/ core? Yes. Some people have expressed preference in a smaller number of dwellings per core. This can be part of residents brief and explored further. 21)- Can we see the density slides from Workshop 1/ make them public? Yes. Slides can be accessed on )- Can we have private access/ stairwells, no deck access as this feels unsafe Yes. This can be part of the residents brief and explored in future design workshops. 23)- Some of the open space in courtyards feels lost and underused We have been collecting these thoughts in our on going site analysis as shared in the second issue of the newsletter. 24)- If you have a garden will you get one back? This depends on where you will be located on the future estate. At the current stage it is not know how many of the new homes will have a private garden, however everyone will have access to private outdoor space in the new build homes, as required by planning policy. 25)- Do you know the proportion of homes with private space? Currently 339 units have private outdoor space (79%). 26)- Will private and council tenants be separated? All tenancies will be tenure blind. This means private and Council tenants will share the same blocks, but may use cores (entrances and stairs / lifts and circulation space) where required. 27)- Capacity of transport links with density increase- Even though Clapham North has good transport links and has a high transport rating there needs to be consideration around capacity as it is difficult to get onto the tube in the morning and with higher density this would only get worse. This is an issue across all stations in central London. Any development will be reviewed at planning stage to ensure that the impact on existing transport connections is minimised. Additionally, other methods of transport will be reviewed to help alleviate any transport concerns. (TFL information doesn t currently show future plans for Clapham North station). 28)- Roads and access into around the estate- Could the right turn be reinstated as a solution to Bedford Road? How do we reduce the number of fast moving cars that cut through the estate? Could the roads be widened? Could Lambeth put up speed cameras? The Bedford Road turning will be discussed with the transport consultant in this stage and if necessary and possible, with the relevant departments at planning stage. Page 4 of 8

5 There are a number of traffic calming measures which could be implemented and the design team will look at the most appropriate ones in terms of effectiveness and viability. 29)- Could the estate car access be for residents only and have barriers to stop parked car collisions? This will be discussed with the transport consultant to understand if it is a recommended option. 30)- Doubts around the 2 day parking study presented in Workshop 3 as there is usually no parking available. Is the study accurate? The parking study was carried for the Phase 1 scheme as part of a transport study and in accordance with Lambeth s Parking Survey Methodology. The methodology is standard process which gives a good idea of capacity on the estate. It takes place over two days between midnight and 5am when occupancy is considered to be at its peak and is in accordance with the requirement of Lambeth s policy: The Council requires a parking survey to cover the area where residents of a proposed development may want to park. This generally covers an area of 200m (or a 2 minute walk) around a site. For further detail see Extent of survey below.the survey should be undertaken when the highest number of residents are at home; generally late at night during the week. A snapshot survey between the hours of should be undertaken on two separate weekday nights (ie. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). PARKING_SURVEY_GUIDANCE_NOTE_Nov_2012_Update.pdf 31)- How will parking be resolved in light of Lambeths Car free development policy? The parking is part of the overall masterplan development and a resolution will be found through the design process. 32)- How will the underground car park be managed and kept safe? Will the council install cameras? Lambeth Officers to liaise with their colleagues working to open the car park and provide an answer when information is available. 33)- Is the underground car park a waste of money as there will be demolition on the estate anyways, why would you spend money on the underground car park if it might be demolished in the future? Underground car park is part of the Fenwick Place planning application and is a result of previous engagement/ consultation work with members of the Fenwick Estate TRA. Fenwick Place will take up some of the current parking spaces for Fenwick Hall as a result these spaces will be re-provided in the underground car park. 34)- How many new people will be brought to the estate? The number of new people coming into the estate is not yet known. Based on the range of density, provided in the London Plan, the design team is aiming to provide an appropriate level of new resident homes. 35)- Definition of Resident Homeowner A resident homeowner will be deemed to be someone who is living in their home on the estate in question as their primary place of residence at the time that the Council either initiates a compulsory purchase order for the estate or, if this is not required, at the time that a planning application is submitted for the masterplan for the estate. (These two timings would normally be expected to coincide.) The homeowner would then need to remain resident until such time that their home is replaced as part of the regeneration process. Residents should discuss their circumstances with Council officers, if they need to apply for an exception to the above. Page 5 of 8

6 36)- If I am currently renting out my property will I be able to upgrade to 4/5bedroom with share ownership 60/40% with silent partner for the council? Please note Share Equity is not available to non resident homeowners. The definition of resident homeowner is outlined above. You will need to be resident for 12months prior to acquisition to qualify for full home loss. If you move back and qualify as a resident homeowner, you will be able to buy into the scheme according to the Council s Key Guarantees. You will be expected to put the value of your existing home plus your homeloss payment toward paying for the new home. It is assumed that you will be able to buy a unit on the estate with same number of bedrooms as your existing accommodation. However, subject to availability, finance and your housing need, you may able to downsize or upgrade. The detail of this has not been confirmed at this stage. 37)- Will my current tenancy get allocation to another property or will they be given enough time for them to find a new property to live? If you are letting your property then tenants will be your responsibility as their landlord. You will need to give them notice and provide vacant possession of your home to the Council at the required time. The Council will liaise with you and provide you with adequate time to give notice to your tenants according to the tenancy agreement, etc. The Council will not be able to provide accommodation for your tenants. However your tenant could seek assistance and advice from the Council Housing Option Team. 38)- While you are building new homes; am I covered for current rent income? The proposed Share-Ownership and Share Equity scheme offered under the Council key guarantees are only available to resident homeowners. These offers are not available to non-resident homeowners. We simply purchase the non-resident homeowners property at a market value plus 7.5% homeloss payment. We will not be compensating you for any loss of rental income. Fenwick Leaseholder Session Questions 14/12/15 Q1: Service Charge under the shared equity scheme, who will be responsible for service charge? Why the does the homeowner have to pay the council s share of the service charge? A: Under the share equity scheme the homeowner as the leaseholder will be responsible for the service charge, the Council is a silent partner through holding equity and is not charging the homeowner any rent for the portion of the share of the home the Council owns. Q2: Early Buyback Could the council buy back early prior to the council s decision on the regeneration? A: The Council currently has produced the Key Guarantees for homeowners, which was circulated at the recent event. The Key Guarantees would apply to you if your home is proposed for demolition as part of any redevelopment of the Fenwick estate. One of the guarantees available to homeowners is the opportunity to sell the property to the Council ahead of any redevelopment, should you wish to move away from the estate prior to the regeneration starting. This sale would be at market value and would include the Homeloss payment (This would only apply once a Cabinet decision has been made regarding the regeneration). Q3: Density- At the density workshop, the Architect suggested that Fenwick Estate is a low density estate in comparison to the London density design guide, does that mean you will be rebuilding to the maximum density guide (i.e. lots of Tower block)? A: There is no plan to develop to the maximum density. There are a range of factors to be considered when planning for new homes, including the character and context of the local area, transport capacity, social infrastructure such as schools and the provision of play space. Page 6 of 8

7 The aim of the feasibility study is to establish the number of new homes, the extent of any demolition and a resident s brief. Residents can influence all of these things and the qualities of landscaping, transport, security etc. that people want to see in a regenerated Fenwick estate. The proposals do need to be financially viable to ensure that the proposals can be delivered. A programme of workshops and events has been and are being organised to get residents involved and help influence the process. Q4: Stock Condition Why has the Council excluded the leasehold properties in the stock condition survey? Should they be considered as part of the survey? A: The estate will be surveyed 100% externally regardless of the tenure. The internal survey will be a 20% sample of all the tenanted properties on the estate because as explained previously it is these properties which the Council would be responsible to finance under any potential refurbishment, and so it is these costs which it must consider as part of the feasibility study. Q5: Stock Condition - Will each block on the estate be getting an equal representation in the stock survey? A: The exact properties to be surveyed under the additional 10% sample internal survey have yet to be confirmed. It is the aim that the final 20% sample will be representative of all typologies of units, across all the blocks. This may not mean there are equal properties from blocks in terms of numbers, but that the sample is as representative as possible across the building types on the estate. Q6: Please explain the Valuation & Appeal Process for the Buyback. A: The Council will ask its agents to carry out a market valuation of the property. In parallel to this, if you wish, you can obtain your own valuation from another RICS qualified surveyor of your choice. The Council and you as the homeowner will negotiate to reach agreement on the value of the property. The transaction proceeds. Q7: Freehold Can we have session for the Freeholders A: Yes, a meeting specifically for the freehold properties will be organised in the near future. Q8: How long is the CPO negotiation process A: It is expected that the CPO process could take approximately-18 months, however at this stage it is very difficult to stage accurately how long it will take. Q9: Affordability - How is the council going support me? A: There are a range of options available to homeowners to ensure that they are able to live in a new home on the estate if they so wish, including the equity share scheme. Further details of these options are contained in the Homeowners Information Booklet, which will be distributed and is available online. Q10: I have a garden, will I be able to purchase home with a garden in the new development. A: It is too early in the process to say how many of the new homes will have private gardens. The engagement Page 7 of 8

8 process currently underway which will inform the feasibility will address issues such as the provision of private and public open space. Q11: Why should I move, I will not be able to buy anything similar to what I have now in Clapham. Even with market value & 10% homeloss? A: Please see response to Question 9. Page 8 of 8