1 Northwold Estate Newsletter INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 Details of Forthcoming Events 2 3 Resident Steering Group, Public Meeting and Leaseholder Update Guinness Guarantees 4-5 Consultation Feedback Resident speaking to NewmanFrancis at the last public event WORKING WITH YOU NewmanFrancis is working with you to make sure you are informed and involved in The Guinness Partnership s plans to redevelop part of the estate. Your views are really important to us, so we want to make sure you are involved as much as possible. TENANT AND LEASEHOLDER FORUMS Following our recent letter, a reminder to residents that are directly affected by Guinness s redevelopment proposals that we will be holding Tenant and Leaseholder forums.these forums will be hosted on a regular basis and provide an opportunity to: Talk to us about the Guinness Guarantees provided by Guinness so far, what it means to you, the process of redevelopment and what happens next Discuss your individual situation with us and how you will potentially be impacted Meet other residents to discuss the redevelopment Raise questions and issues to us to ask the Guinness Partnership If you are planning to attend a forum please contact us. The dates are listed under upcoming events. If you cannot attend a forum or you do not wish to, you can call us on 0800 644 6040 (Mon-Fri) to speak to us or arrange 1-1 home vists. UPCOMING EVENTS Northwold Estate Tenant Forum (For tenants directly affected by Guinness s proposals): Wednesday 9th 6:30pm-8:30pm Northwold Estate Leaseholder Forum (For leaseholders directly affected by Guinness s proposals): Wedenesday 16th 6:30pm-8:30pm Residents Steering Group (Open to all Northwold Residents) Provisionally booked for 7th December and subject to change 7:00pm-9:00pm Public Event End of /Beginning of December (To be Confirmed)
2 RESIDENT STEERING GROUP The first resident steering group (RSG) took place on the 6th October and a following meeting was held on the 2nd. The RSG is open to all residents on the estate. The group s role is to be representative and act for all residents on the estate, communicating and working closely with Guinness. The group will be involved in developing a Residents Charter which will outline principles to ensure the redevelopment process is fair and inclusive for the future of the Northwold Estate residents and the community. We currently have several spaces available, and to be as representative of the estate as possible the group particularly requires residents from Melton, Hendale, Fernhill, Aldergrove and Brierley to be part of the steering group that will meet regularly. Please contact us if you are interested in joining and to find out more. NEXT PUBLIC MEETING The next public meeting will take place towards the end of or the beginning of December. The public meeting will be spread over two days. We hold resident meetings at the LEASEHOLDER UPDATE The Guinness Partnership are in the process of setting up a support package for leaseholders directly affected by the the redevelopment. Guinness are planning to hold 1-1 sessions with leaseholders to discuss individual circumstances. They are also planning to provide detail on independent financial advice services that will be made available to all directly affected leaseholders. Guinness will directly correspond with leaseholders in due course. We will be doing a flyer delivery to each home and sending out emails and texts to notify you of the date and time. COMMUNITY CENTRE Guinness has stated an intention to demolish the existing community centre and rebuild a new community centre that remains centrally located within the estate. At this stage, Guinness is talking to current providers Child UK, to discuss their needs in order to ensure they can continue to run services at Northwold in the future. WHAT HAVE GUINNESS PROPOSED? Enhance the landscaping and community facilities, including reproviding a new community centre. That there will be an overall increase in social rent homes, in addition to a increase of affordable rent and homes for private sale. A set of Guinness Guarantees for tenants and leaseholders which are displayed on the opposite page
3 GUINNESS GUARANTEES Residents have frequently contacted us about how the redevelopment will affect them as a tenant or leaseholder. The below information is what Guinness have issued to date as a set of guarantees for residents. The Guinness Guarantees as outlined below to residents are from the Guinness letter dated 20th September. TENANTS Any tenant with an assured, secure or fixed-term tenancy who wishes to continue to live on the estate will have the opportunity to do so; You will be guaranteed a new property and where possible we will try to match the new property with your housing needs; You will remain on the estate during the development and we aim to make sure you only have to move once; Your tenancy conditions will be protected you will have the same tenancy type at your new home; Your rent will remain the same and will only change if you move to a smaller or larger home; You will be provided with a tailored support package to move, including both practical and financial support; and Guinness will pay you a statutory home loss payment plus reasonable costs of removal and disturbance. RESIDENT LEASEHOLDERS There are a number of options available to resident leaseholders such as: Leasehold swap: this means you can opt to buy a new lease on a new home on the estate at 100% equity share; Leasehold swap with shared equity: this means if you are unable to afford the full value of a new home, you can acquire an equity share of a new home. The value of the equity share would be the same as the value of your existing property, with Guinness owning the other share. There would be no rent payable on the equity share owned by Guinness; and Shared ownership: We can offer leaseholders a conventional shared ownership option this means that resident leaseholders can share ownership with Guinness on a new home. All resident leaseholders who qualify will be entitled to receive: A home loss payment plus reasonable disturbance costs, stamp duty and mortgage redemption and/or arrangement fees; We will pay relevant and reasonable legal and valuation costs, which enable leaseholders to obtain their own independent advice; An advisor will provide assistance with the transaction and moving home; and We will provide additional assistance to homeowners in financial difficulties and for homeowners who consider themselves vulnerable. NON-RESIDENT LEASEHOLDERS Non-resident leaseholders qualify for a basic loss payment and a limited right to reasonable incidental costs when buying alternative accommodation in the UK within 12 months.
4 CONSULTATION FEEDBACK Attendance 156 residents attended both public events. 185 residents attended both the public events and the post event NewmanFrancis drop-in sessions in total. Surveys Completed 83 feedback surveys from the event were returned. Public Events 28th July & 17th August Survey Results Q. When asked How do you feel about the prospect of possible changes to the estate 48 answered concerned 29 answered positive 5 answered indifferent 1 didn t answer Resident feedback at the July Public Event Q. When asked did you find tonight s event helpful? 50 answered helpful 20 answered indifferent 11 answered unhelpful 2 didn t answer Attendance 187 residents attended both public events. 245 residents attended the public events and the NewmanFrancis drop-in sessions in total. Surveys Completed 65 feedback surveys were returned. Public Events 30th September & 1st October Surveys Results Q. Is your block affected by this proposal? 29 answered yes 32 answered no 1 didn t answer Q. Are you a tenant or leaseholder? 43 answered tenant 11 answered leaseholder 11 didn t answer Q. Do you feel the proposed housing solution best addresses existing residents,housing need and the community? 22 answered unsure 22 answered yes 20 answered no 1 didn t answer Q. Did you find today s event helpful? 48 answered helpful 9 answered indifferent 6 answered unhelpful 2 didn t answer A NewmanFrancis gazebo drop-in 4th October FEEDBACK ON OUR WEBSITE For a full list of all comments made by residents on post-it notes at each event please go to our website page: http://newmanfrancis.org/projects/ northwold-estate-hackney
5 DOOR TO DOOR SURVEY WENSDALE HOUSE By the end of September over 400 residents answered our resident survey. Below is feedback from the survey. Q. The Top 3 Things You Like About the Northwold Estate Location 68% Neighbours 51% Saftey 43% Other Comments Common Themes: 1. The estate is quiet and contained 2. The estate is close to transport and shops 3. Residents close to schools and families From the consultation a significant number of residents from Wensdale House have raised issues and complaints about their properties experiencing major damp, mould and lack of space within kitchen units. These issues were raised at the public events and also in our door to door surveys. Following these issues being raised Guinness is carrying out a building survey and the architects have sampled a number of flats for their size and unit space. At this stage Guinness is currently reviewing the issues raised at Wensdale House and will inform residents of any developments. Q. The Top 3 Improvements That Could Be Made on the Estate Safety 36% Lighting 31% Communual Areas 29% Refuse 27% Play Areas 26% Other Comments Common Themes: 1.Cleaning of blocks and the estate needs to be better (in most communal areas, but especially lifts and refuse areas) 2. Maintenance (painting of blocks, lifts, lighting,cctv) 3. Anti-social behaviour (Groups loitering) 4. Car parking issues (People parking from outside the estate) NorthwoldEmail Contact northwold@newmanfrancis.org traducción? çeviri? traduction? traduzione? tłumaczenie? dịch? Q. How important is a local play area to you? Very Important 47% Important 24% Neutral 20% Not Important 4% Not Important at all 5% LARGE PRINT? 08006446040