Agenda item

Resolved: the committee thanked the representatives from Phoenix for their presentation and noted the evidence provided.  

Angela Hardman (Head of Development, Phoenix Community Housing) delivered a presentation on Phoenix’s approach to engaging residents through the development and delivery of new homes. The following key points were noted from the presentation:

1.1  Phoenix are aiming to deliver an increasing number of new homes in Lewisham. The majority of their development programme is due to be delivered over the next 3-4 years.

1.2  All of the sites Phoenix will be developing sit within existing communities and estates. The impact on existing residents is an important consideration when thinking about how to deliver.

1.3  Phoenix’s approach to resident engagement on housing development, called “building together”, sets out a number of commitments to residents affected by new homes.

1.4  When Phoenix was established a number of promises were made to residents and Phoenix are looking to follow a similar approach with the delivery of new homes.

1.5  Phoenix wants to develop proposals together with residents in a similar way to how it has with improvements to properties in the past.

1.6  They also intend to engage residents when they start to buy land for development in order to hear residents’ views on affordable housing options such as shared ownership for example. 

1.7  Phoenix aims to ensure that residents have an opportunity to get involved at every stage. This includes considering and funding environmental improvements identified by residents

1.8  Phoenix are conscious of the risk that existing residents may see investment in new homes as something that’s not necessarily for them and want to ensure that the new homes programme is aligned with the interests and aspirations of existing residents.

1.9  Establishing and understanding existing residents’ priorities and ideas for environmental improvements comes through the consultation process when developing new homes.

1.10      Phoenix’s approach is intended to address the question “what’s in it for us?”.

1.11      Residents are engaged at the beginning of the development process, when development is initially being considered on a certain piece of land, to ask what’s important to them in their neighbourhood, while stressing the importance of delivering new homes.

1.12      They also intend to discuss with residents the balance between maximising new homes and economic viability. 

1.13      At later stages in the process, residents will help select architects. Residents will also be involved in the selection of contractors and how to minimise disruption during construction and ongoing engagement during construction. During the construction of Hazlehurst Court, for example, Phoenix offered free coffee and cake at the Green Man community centre while the foundations were being laid.

1.14      Phoenix also carry out post-occupancy surveys with residents to gather feedback to help improve future developments.

1.15      Phoenix recognises that some of the money being invested in new homes has be raised through the rental stream that existing residents pay.

1.16      If environment improvements are identified and committed to, they are funded and put into a programme to be delivered over the course of the development programme.

1.17      One of the different ways Phoenix seeks to engage residents is through an informal resident consultation event it calls “Chat and Chips”, where residents are asked for their views on current and future plans while enjoying free fish and chips.

1.18      They held seven “Chat and Chips” events last year and engaged with more than 400 residents, 64% of which were residents that they had not engaged with previously.

1.19      Other methods include newsletters, door-knocking and looking at hard-to-reach groups.

1.20      On a recent development Phoenix have found that the use of 3D polystyrene models is a particularly useful way of engaging residents and discussing options and proposals. It can be difficult for some people to get a sense of a development from 2D plans alone.

1.21      In terms of engaging with hard-to-reach and under-represented groups, Phoenix’s tenancy sustainment officers help to identify vulnerable tenants, older people, disabled people, or young people who may not be engaging.

1.22      They also use data to identify potential groups that may be interested in a new development. For a new intergenerational scheme Melfield Gardens, for example, Phoenix has started looking into how to engage with different groups right from the beginning of the process. The idea is to attract residents who are under-occupying in order to generate chain lets.

1.23      One of the other commitments is to try to establish a local letting policy for Phoenix residents. On a previous development, Hazlehurst Court, a third of new homes were allocated to residents that were under-occupying existing Phoenix homes. This generated more than 60 chain lets.

1.24      From carrying out resident engagement on a recent development, Ravensbourne Estate, Phoenix established a number of commitments. The commitments included providing a community facility, new refuse facilities, addressing parking issues, and looking into ways to empower residents to manage some of the landscaped areas so that their children could play there.

1.25      Phoenix carried out five consultation events at different stages in the process to reach as many residents as possible and so that most of the issues could be resolved by the time it came to submitting plans.    

The committee asked a number of questions. The following key points were noted:

1.26      Phoenix’s approach to resident engagement on housing development involves a lot of up-front work to try to understand residents’ concerns and come up with solutions through open and honest conversations. They do still get objections, but they want to bring residents on the journey rather than presenting a proposals as a done deal.

1.27      The funding for Phoenix’s new homes programme comes from GLA grant funding, refinancing, rental income subsidy, and support for social homes from Lewisham Council. Building on their own land allows Phoenix to provide a high proportion of homes for social rent.

1.28      There are no resident ballots proposed in Phoenix’s new homes programme.

1.29      In Phoenix’s experience, young people aged 18-25 tend to be the hardest to reach and under-represented during engagement. Younger young people, under 18s, tend to use the Green Man Community Hub, but not 18-25s. The typical cohort tends to be older people and some families.

1.30      Phoenix are also trying to engage smaller groups of young people by providing training and support.

1.31      While Phoenix’s development programme consists of mostly small infills, they are still calling it regeneration.

Resolved: the committee thanked the representatives from Phoenix for their presentation and noted the evidence provided.