Agenda item

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Cabinet

Member for Housing, Councillor Paul Bell, and a member of the public, the

Mayor and Cabinet agreed that:

(1) the work that officers have undertaken to explore the potential to build new

Council homes in the area around Achilles Street, New Cross, with the redline

plan be noted;

(2) the initial consultation that has been carried out with all residents, affected

businesses and other key stakeholders throughout this process in relation to

these options since infill proposals first shared in June 2014 through to the

most recent public meeting held in June 2018 as set out and the comments

made by residents, business and other key stakeholders, be noted;

(3) there is currently a consultation underway to establish the principles of a

Residents’ Charter that will set out the guaranteed minimum offer that will

apply to all Lewisham residents whose homes will be demolished and rebuilt

as part of Council led redevelopment, including the residents on the Achilles

Street Estate;

(4) how these principles will interact with the five commitments made to the

Achilles Street Community as set be noted;

(5) officers should work with residents and other key stakeholders on Achilles

Street to begin to establish a Landlord Offer that will enable a Resident Ballot

on the Achilles Street redevelopment proposals to take place;

(6) the Landlord Offer be presented back to Mayor and Cabinet to be

finalised, and to set the date for a Resident Ballot;

(7) officers can begin negotiated buybacks, on an entirely voluntary basis, on

the 36 leaseholder properties in Azalea House, Austin House, Fenton House

and 363 New Cross Road, and authority be delegated to the Executive

Director for Resources and Regeneration to approve the final terms;

(8) home loss and disturbance payments are made to leaseholders and

freeholders where appropriate in (if eligible) accordance with the Land

Compensation Act 1973 (as amended);

(9) officers begin negotiated buybacks, on an entirely voluntary basis, on the

affected commercial properties at Clifton Rise and along New Cross Road

within the redline plan and authority be delegated to the Executive Director for

Resources and Regeneration to approve the final terms;

(10) the budget requirements for these voluntary buybacks as set out in Part

Two be approved.

(11) the resourcing requirements for delivering the next stage of the Achilles

Street project set out in Part Two be noted; and

(12) the budget required for the next phase of this redevelopment work as set

out in Part Two be approved.

The report was presented by Councillor Paul Bell who acknowledged there

has been unfortunate delays in progressing proposals. He indicated there

would be no regeneration unless a majority of residents supported the

scheme in a ballot. He pledged that no resident would need to move and

that security of tenure would be guaranteed. He said the scheme involved no

sale of land to private developers. He refuted any suggestion the proposals

amounted to social cleansing, when what would occur was an increase in

Council homes as part of a mixed development.

The Mayor and Cabinet were next addressed by local resident Jacquie Utley.

She claimed Council officers had not ensured proper consultation, as

promised, had taken place with residents. She said any claim that the present

plans had been developed via public engagement with residents and

businesses was very misleading. She said proper consideration had not been

given to options for infill and refurbishment. She criticised the Council for

holding a part of the Achilles Street proposals in a closed session.

Councillor Joe Dromey, a local member, spoke in favour of the

recommendations. He pointed out the proposals would also mean a doubling

of commercial space. He recounted the consultations which had taken place

which concluded infill would provide just 22 new properties; redevelopment

hundreds while a status quo refurbishment would provide none.

In concluding the debate, the Mayor reminded those present the final decision

would be taken by the residents and was subject to the financial

considerations set out in the closed section of the report.

Having considered both an open and a confidential officer report, and a

presentation by the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Paul Bell, and a

member of the public, the Mayor and Cabinet, for the reasons set out in the

reports and from the options available by a vote of 7-0:

RESOLVED that:

(1) the work that officers have undertaken to explore the potential to build new

Council homes in the area around Achilles Street, New Cross, with the redline

plan be noted;

(2) the initial consultation that has been carried out with all residents, affected

businesses and other key stakeholders throughout this process in relation to

these options since infill proposals first shared in June 2014 through to the

most recent public meeting held in June 2018 as set out and the comments

made by residents, business and other key stakeholders, be noted;

(3) there is currently a consultation underway to establish the principles of a

Residents’ Charter that will set out the guaranteed minimum offer that will

apply to all Lewisham residents whose homes will be demolished and rebuilt

as part of Council led redevelopment, including the residents on the Achilles

Street Estate;

(4) how these principles will interact with the five commitments made to the

Achilles Street Community as set be noted;

(5) officers should work with residents and other key stakeholders on Achilles

Street to begin to establish a Landlord Offer that will enable a Resident Ballot

on the Achilles Street redevelopment proposals to take place;

(6) the Landlord Offer be presented back to Mayor and Cabinet to be

finalised, and to set the date for a Resident Ballot;

(7) officers can begin negotiated buybacks, on an entirely voluntary basis, on

the 36 leaseholder properties in Azalea House, Austin House, Fenton House

and 363 New Cross Road, and authority be delegated to the Executive

Director for Resources and Regeneration to approve the final terms;

(8) home loss and disturbance payments are made to leaseholders and

freeholders where appropriate in (if eligible) accordance with the Land

Compensation Act 1973 (as amended);

(9) officers begin negotiated buybacks, on an entirely voluntary basis, on the

affected commercial properties at Clifton Rise and along New Cross Road

within the redline plan and authority be delegated to the Executive Director for

Resources and Regeneration to approve the final terms;

(10) the budget requirements for these voluntary buybacks as set out in Part

Two be approved.

(11) the resourcing requirements for delivering the next stage of the Achilles

Street project set out in Part Two be noted; and

(12) the budget required for the next phase of this redevelopment work as set

out in Part Two be approved.