Dear Sadiq, GLA Members and Councillors,

'Construction...is based on a wasteful economic model which often involves tearing down existing structures and buildings.’ 

   The Retrofit First campaign by The Architects' Journal,  2019

'It is a greedy, profligate and polluting monster, gobbling up resources and spitting out the remains in intractable lumps.” 
                                                                     The Guardian, 2020*

Large numbers of estates across London and the UK face demolition and rebuilding.  This is time-consuming with huge consequences for the communities, the environment and the local council's finances and it will not end the housing crisis or house the homeless.

Central Hill redevelopment: Time-consuming, expensive and does not meet local need.

Central Hill Estate, SE19, in south Lambeth, is an example of an estate that will be transformed from 466 homes into 1,200.  It is scheduled to take more than 20 years at a cost of about £0.4bn, yet it is not known how many households from the waiting list will be housed in the new homes.  The net increase on the estate appears only to be for private investment as it is openly stated that half of those being built are for high-end sale, not for those in need of social housing, renters, or local home buyers.  

£350K cost for each new property

This is happening across at least six estates and small sites across Lambeth, where the council plans to spend £1.75bn on building 4,709 homes (whilst administering another 180).  This is an average cost of over £350,000 per property.

Lack of Repairs

Lambeth have failed to maintain its housing stock.  This is a good reason not to put it in charge of building homes.  If the borough cannot manage to fix a leak, or rent out a property, it should not be given responsibility for something far larger.

The greenest home is the one standing

The houses and flats are structurally-sound and need regular maintenance, such as having their roofs repaired.  They are not a burden to the council as they produce revenue from the council tenants. The council also receives service charges and Council Tax.

Refurbishment is the solution.

In contrast to demolition and rebuilding, refurbishment will cost £30 - £40,000 per property and take months, causing no displacement and far less environmental damage. It also leaves space to build truly environmentally-friendly, community-led housing.

Prudent Use of Resources

In a time of housing and environmental crisis, is this not the best use of council land and money?

Environmental Cost

Hundreds of trees will be cut down, biodiversity will be lost and tonnes of carbon released in the demolishing and rebuilding. Large amounts of energy are used to make bricks, steel, glass, and other materials as they are mined, processed, shipped and eventually used in construction.  Construction actually accounts for 51% of all carbon emitted in the whole life-cycle of a home.*

The Guardian, 2020, states, ‘Construction accounts for 60% of all materials used in UK, a third of all waste and 45% of all CO2 emissions.’ ‘Any chance of averting climate catastrophe must start with buildings.’* 

Net Zero

Lambeth Council has declared a climate emergency and has committed to being Net Zero by 2030.  This will not happen if it continues to build unobtainable houses for most people.

Who is this for?

Truslove House, a small building of seven studio flats for the temporarily-housed on a corner of Central Hill Estate, has been demolished to make way for 31 new apartments for social housing.  These homes are not additional social housing, but will only be used to depopulate the estate to allow for further development at a cost of over £9million. The buildings are not to house the homeless or anyone on the waiting list.

Too Many Empty Properties

There are in fact double this number of empty properties on the estate, over 70. As Lambeth Council buys out homeowners with money from its general fund, and moves secure tenants out, some of the empty properties, often referred to as voids, are let out to private tenants and the temporarily-housed.  However, many are simply left empty. 

Repair Vs Neglect

Lambeth Council claim that some empty homes cannot be repaired, yet refuse to have them inspected. Not all tenants and homeowners move because of repair issues, which the council, our landlord, had refused to repair. Some leave because of the regeneration, employment or personal reasons.  In total, many are left empty for months, often sometimes years and could be moved into straightaway. 

The council seems to prefer to lose rent and Council Tax than to do up a property for a family in need, yet they claim this development is to alleviate the housing crisis! 

Guardians

Private tenants and the temporarily-housed will be asked to move out by Lambeth Council when they need to demolish their property.  They will have no automatic right to return on to the new estate.

The Housing Crisis

The housing crisis is a crisis of affordability, not availability.  End demolish now. Support our campaign to refurbish all housing estates that have suffered such neglect for such a long period.

How to Support

Ask your councillor, MP, GLA (if applicable), Mayor (same) and all future candidates if they support, will sign up to and actively campaign for refurbishing and not demolishing, along the lines of the Retrofit First campaign.

Follow Us

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/refurbishdontdemolish/

Youtube: Refurbish Don't Demolish https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxFGa8rSjF88TuruGcp_tcA

Join us on Facebook: Save Central Hill Community

Twitter: @SaveCentralHill

Email: centralhillcampaigns@gmail.com

Youtube: Lambeth Estates United

*The case for ... never demolishing another building | Cities | The Guardian.