ANGER IS growing at the attack on council housing and in particular because the drive to destroy big estates like the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle is leading to a housing shortage in London and other cities.
After the Labour Party in Southwark pledged to ‘stand up to the developers’ at the local council elections in May, winning control of the south London council from the Tories and Liberal Democrats, it is now pressing ahead with the plans of the previous administration.
These plans are to seal up all the 1,212 council homes on the estate and then to demolish the estate under the ‘Elephant and Castle Regeneration’ scheme.
A similar scheme to ‘regenerate’ the neighbouring Aylesbury Estate, destroying 2,758 council homes, and plans to destroy more council homes on the Elmington Estate, are already under way, as well as ‘regeneration’ projects in other parts of the borough.
This is despite the fact that money for these costly ‘regeneration’ projects has dried up and despite the experience on the Wood Dene estate in Peckham, where Southwark razed hundreds of council homes to the ground in 2007, but simply built a metal fence around the land and left it abandoned.
To the consternation of tenants who still live on the Heygate Estate and those who were forced to leave their homes on Heygate against their will, the council even claims that only a handful of tenants are unhappy with their treatment!
This is after lifts stopped and water and heating supplies were interrupted – leaving tenants freezing during the winter – before central heating and hot water was completely cut off in April!
The tenants say they weren’t surprised by this treatment from the Lib Dems and Tories but are furious to receive such treatment from Labour.
Now tenants on Aylesbury Estate are being told they must do the same as Heygate tenants and get out, by putting themselves onto the Homesearch bidding system for what little, if any, accommodation is available elsewhere in the borough – or even to move out of Southwark.
(Tenants have observed that many of the properties available through Homesearch are not even council homes).
The Council Assembly meets next Wednesday, July 14, when the South-East London Council of Action plans to hold a demonstration, demanding a halt to the demolition plans and the reopening of the 1,200 council homes on the estate.
There are still tenants and leaseholders living on the estate, but a section of the estate that is now evacuated has been sealed off and a circular from the council has been sent to tenants on neighbouring estates, which is headlined: ‘Heygate estate – first phase of the demolition’.
The circular, dated June 2010, says: ‘This issue gives you details of what has been happening and what will be done to prepare for the first phase of the demolition.’
It announces a ‘Public meeting on 20 July 2010’.
It says: ‘You are invited to a public meeting to find out more about the demolition process. Tuesday 20 July 7pm, Heygate TRA hall, 25 Brandon St SE17 1NE.’
The leaflet continues: ‘What has been happening?
• ‘All residents moved out of the three Wingrave blocks and the 43-53 Rodney Road block in March.
‘The area has been fully hoarded with lighting on the ramp up to the pedestrian footbridge over Rodney Road.
• ‘We appointed Lend Lease to manage the demolition process for Rodney Road in March 2010 and have been working with them on the demolition programme since
• ‘24 hour security patrols the area
• ‘The basketball and kick about area has been secured for use by Victory Primary School until the autumn
• ‘A monitoring system is in place to assess noise and air quality before and during demolition
• ‘A number of surveys have been commissioned (see below)
‘What’s next – June to October
‘1. The following surveys will be carried out
• ‘An ecology survey which will also assess whether or not there are any protected species such as bats
• ‘An asbestos survey
• ‘A tree survey
• ‘Survey of underground services such as drains, electricity, gas, water and telecoms
‘2. A new temporary duel fuel boiler system will be installed to provide heat and hot water for the Salisbury estate before the district heating system is cut off
‘3. Planning, building control and environmental health notices will be submitted setting out how demolition will take place safely and with minimum disruption
‘These are public documents and will be available on the council’s website
‘4. Public meeting 20 July 7pm, Heygate TRA hall, 25 Brandon Street SE1 1NE – this will be your chance to learn more about the demolition process and to ask questions about it
‘What’s next – November onwards
‘5. All services running through the site will be cut off
‘6. Any asbestos will be removed under controlled and monitored procedures by specialist contractors
‘7. Materials will be salvaged for recycling where possible
‘8. We are undertaking a tendering process and will appoint a contractor for the physical demolition, following which a detailed programme for the main works will then be published.
‘Demolition is likely to start towards the end of the year and continue through to spring 2010.’
(This is obviously a printing error because spring 2010 has already gone!)
The circular says: ‘How can you find out more
‘1. Attend the public meeting at the Heygate TRA hall on 20 July
‘2. Look out for the noticeboards that will be attached to each side of the hoarding
‘3. If you have any queries or wish to comment email or call 020 7525 5000
‘4. Visit www.southwark.gov.uk for the latest information
‘5. We will send out further updates as work progresses.’
Two information bites in the circular say:
‘Fire brigade training exercises – The fire service has started a series of training exercises using the empty buildings.
‘Three classes from Victory Primary School were given the opportunity to watch the first one.’
‘Art on the demolition site – Students at Victory Primary School are getting the chance to work with an artist to express their creativity and produce art on the hoardings surrounding the demolition site.’
Tenants on Heygate Estate were originally promised ‘one move’ straight into ‘brand new homes’ that hadn’t been built!
They were then told they had to get out and to ‘start bidding’ for alternative accommodation on Homesearch, alongside thousands of other people in Southwark desperately in need of housing.
Now Aylesbury tenants are to get the same treatment!
Heygate tenants and ex-tenants have accused Southwark of ‘Rachmanite’ tactics to clear council estates and make way for private developers.
(Rachman was the private landlord who became notorious 50 years ago for evicting tenants).
These regeneration projects are aimed at destroying council homes!
The fight is on in neighbouring Lambeth Council too, where the Myatts Field estate has recently been targeted for a PFI ‘regeneration’ project involving the demolition of 305 council homes.
After the recent demolition of the Market Estate in Islington, another inner-London borough, it is clear that the government’s drive is to smash council housing.
Not a single new council home is planned on the site of either the Heygate or Aylesbury estates.
The land in all these ‘regeneration’ areas is being handed over to the private sector.
The ‘regeneration’ scheme at Heygate involves demolition of the council estate and the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre next door.
Under the regeneration plan, the estate is to be replaced by an ‘eco-friendly’ private development.
A Multi-Utility Services Company (MusCo) would control local water, heating and electricity supplies through a ‘decentralised network of power, cooling, heating, green water and fibreoptic communications infrastructure’.
A new, 43-storey skyscraper already overshadows the tenants who still live on Heygate and has been nicknamed by developers as the ‘Electric Razor’, because of the three giant wind turbines at the top.
It is also not far from London Bridge, where ‘The Shard’ is under construction.
‘Social housing’ is being abandoned.
No new council homes are being built and none are planned to be built in the regeneration areas.
Councils like Southwark are concerned with ‘saving endangered bats’, not with saving council homes!
All these plans must be stopped in their tracks.
That means building Councils of Action and going forwards to a workers government that will nationalise the land, the banks and the building industry and immediately launch a programme to build millions of much-needed council homes for working-class people and young people leaving home.
The South-East London Council of Action demonstration next Wednesday will demand: ‘Stop All Evictions on Heygate and Aylesbury! No regeneration! Refurbishment not demolition!
• ‘No evictions from Aylesbury or Heygate!
• ‘Return evicted tenants to their homes!
• ‘Reopen and refurbish our estates!
• ‘Build more council houses!
• ‘Kick out the privateers!
‘Picket the Labour council!’
It is a year since the Camberwell fire at Lakanal House next to Southwark Town Hall – in which six people died, including three children.
Due to the destruction of council housing, the council struggled to rehouse the tenants who were evacuated from the block.
The Council of Action picket takes place next Wednesday from 6.00pm outside Southwark Town Hall, Peckham Road, followed by a public meeting from 7.15pm at St Giles Centre, 81 Camberwell Church Street, SE5.
All tenants who want to fight privatisation are welcome to attend!
