TENANTS on the Aylesbury estate are opposed to privatisation and are demanding improvements to council housing instead of demolition – which is what Southwark Council is proposing for the entire estate, where thousands of people live.
In July tenants joined a Young Socialists demonstration through the south London estate against the council’s plans.
Now tenants are organising for a meeting against plans to start clearing three blocks near the Walworth Road, overlooking Burgess Park.
Tenants will hold a meeting on Saturday September 16 about the council’s plans.
And the Young Socialists have called a conference for Saturday September 30 to defend council housing and stop the Aylesbury sell-off.
The latest edition of ‘Southwark Life’, a magazine for residents produced by the council, says: ‘The Aylesbury, one of the largest estates in Europe, is being redeveloped to create a vibrant new community with 2,200 homes for rent and 2,700 for sale or shared ownership.’
Under the council’s plans, no council homes on the estate would remain. They would all be bulldozed.
‘Southwark Life’ adds: ‘A company that will create a master plan for the estate will be selected by the end of the year and the housing associations that will build the first new homes will be selected by mid next year.’
There is strong opposition amongst youth and workers on the Aylesbury estate to this privatisation scheme.
News Line spoke to tenants about the situation.
Victoria Biden, who joined the Young Socialists march in July, told News Line: ‘We are against the demolition and privatisation of Aylesbury because we are not going to have the same size of flats, we will lose our security of tenure and rents will go up.
‘For five years we have been fighting privatisation and I think the council have been deliberately allowing the estate to run down.
‘But we can’t let the Aylesbury be demolished, because if we do we will lose our council tenancies.’
‘We are asking all tenants to come to a public meeting on September 16 at 2.00pm at the Day Centre, about the South West Corner (the first part of the estate threatened with demolition).’
Martin Tarawally said: ‘I support council housing and I believe in it.
‘I don’t believe in privatisation, because when they demolish this place, the only thing that will come in is private landlords.
‘That scares us. We are having a meeting on the 16th at the Day Centre.’
Another Aylesbury tenant Jerusha Tonge said: ‘I don’t agree with handing the land over to private developers.
‘It’s all going to change for us as council tenants.
‘The secure tenancy will go. But I want that to stay as it is.’
She said that the estate ‘does need to change’, but added: ‘The flats are bigger than what they’re proposing to build.
‘We need council estates that consider families.
‘Improve and renew the estate, but look at the accommodation people are in, don’t let them be overcrowded,’ she added.
Local resident Claire James said: ‘I’d rather be a council tenant than a private tenant.
‘We should fight privatisation. It will make accommodation more expensive.’
Donna West said: ‘I’m quite happy living here.
‘The council are confusing me half the time – you don’t get straight answers from them.
‘The government are the same as well in all aspects.’
She added: ‘I really think tenants need to unite against privatisation.
‘What’s the point of whinging about it all if you’re not going to do anything about it?
‘I’ve always said all we really need is double glazing and other bits and pieces – I think they should be improving the estates, rather than knocking them down and privatising them.’
Donna, another tenant, said: ‘I was living in a two-bedroom flat in a tower block and I was offered a four-bedroom flat on the Aylesbury, but they told me the estate was going to be demolished.
‘I want space for my family, but I don’t agree with privatisation because not a lot of people can afford that.
‘I just think the old buildings are more sound.
‘What they’ve built in Peckham are like boxes with low ceilings and thin walls.
‘I think we should defend council housing for the next generation – I think they’re going to find it really hard if they want to move on.’
‘How can they just tear this down?’ asked local youth Enoch, David, John and Jibs, all aged 16.
‘Where will all the people live?’ they wanted to know. ‘Are they just going to put us in the streets?’
‘We want spacious houses that are affordable – if the family is five, five bedrooms, if the family is four, four bedrooms.
‘They should just renovate these buildings, not demolish them and privatise them.’
Joanna, Linda, Kay and Debbie also spoke to News Line.
One of them said: ‘I think they are trying to yuppify the Walworth Road. They don’t want low-income families.’
They also said: ‘They’ve spent millions here giving people new cookers.’
Linda said: ‘If there is no council housing, how will people like the sick cope? How will people like that afford to pay private?
‘You have to think how much you have to pay – people won’t be able to go on holiday ever again!
‘It’s much better to stay with the council, but to improve the buildings.’
Bridget Burrows, a tenant on the neighbouring Heygate estate near Elephant and Castle, which is the first estate targeted for demolition, also spoke to News Line.
‘It’s ended up like Beirut!’ she said.
‘The old people’s sheltered accommodation, my mum lived there and she couldn’t get anything done.
‘She had to pay for her own shower to be put in and now they’re ripping the whole place apart and these flats are going to be for temporary accommodation.
‘They are not doing the repairs for the tenants who are still here.’
She added: ‘At the end of the day what they’re offering you is not the same as what you had.
‘They have let things run down on purpose because they want to get rid of council housing.
‘They want to force you to find your own accommodation.
‘What they promised is not what they’re delivering. They promised us the earth!
‘At the end of the day the private developers and shareholders are making money off our backs.’
CONFERENCE
• Defend council housing!
• Stop sale of Aylesbury Estate!
Saturday September 30th, 2-5pm
Clubland Methodist Hostel
Grosvenor Terrace/Camberwell Road, London SE5
admission £1
