Bulldozer threat to hundreds of Gospel Oak homes
Six estates earmarked for demolish-and-rebuild, with half the new properties sold privately
Published: 18th November, 2010
by DAN CARRIER
SWATHES of council homes in Gospel Oak could be demolished, with estates being rebuilt to triple the number of houses, according to a Town Hall report on the future of the area.
The proposal, put together by design consultants Scott Wilson for Camden Council, outlines a scheme which could see six large estates around Lismore Circus demolished.
To pay for the 1,280 council homes that would be needed to replace those bulldozed and to improve the area’s streets and open spaces, the report says up to three times the number of existing homes would need to be built. Half could then be sold off privately.
But the Gospel Oak Neighbourhood Action Group (Gonag) is calling for more information from the Town Hall and wants people from the area to make their views known. Details of the scheme are due to be discussed next week by the council’s executive.
Labour regeneration chief Councillor Sarah Hayward said: “There is a view that you could do it in a way that means nicely-laid-out terraces, like once were there, because the space is currently used in a way that is poorly designed.
“You have to consider what the area can handle – there needs to be good enough transport, GP surgeries and schools for any extra people. Nothing has been decided. The Scott Wilson report was a consultative report that outlines the problems and some of the options.”
The 55-page dossier adds that the estates – rumoured to include Ludham, Waxham, Weedington Road, Wendling, Bacton Tower, Bacton low rise or Lamble Street – were badly built, saying “residents are victims of ill-conceived, post-war design at its worst”.
Surveyors state that to bring existing homes up to Decent Homes standard, the council would need to find an absolute minimum of £43million – a figure that council insiders believe makes the work not worth doing.
The consultants say the community has high levels of deprivation and that, by bringing in private housing, the area would have a better mix of people living there.
A meeting between councillors and people in the area has been scheduled for a week on Tuesday at Queen’s Crescent Community Centre.
To make sure the plans pay for themselves there would be a split between the types of homes built – 35 per cent would be social housing, 15 per cent intermediate and 50 per cent private homes. This, says Gonag, means a huge increase in the number of homes on-site.
Dorian Courtesi, spokeswoman for Gonag, added: “All green spaces in the area would be destroyed. Instead, a floating ‘circus’ over the railway lines is proposed – something like what an open space in a prison might be like.”
Gonag representative Suzi Johnston added: “The project is not new, and the plan is relatively simple: decant the population – the council’s words – from the area, demolish buildings, rebuild and sell the prime new developments to the private sector, with only a small portion replacing social housing.
“Result? A self-financing building project which will leave pots of money in the council’s coffers.”