Council land comes under the microscope in sell-off plan

Published: 16 September, 2010
by RICHARD OSLEY

EVERY single piece of council-owned property and land has been sized up for potential sale as Camden Council tries to fend off the worst of the biting economic climate.

Housing chiefs remain committed to protecting council homes from sale, a key Labour election pledge. 

But the same promise does not extend to all areas of Camden’s estate communal areas and portfolio of commercial properties. A confidential list of 180 potential sites for sale is said to be doing the rounds at the Town Hall.

Senior councillors insist property will not be sold without the support of ward councillors and residents.

Nevertheless, plans for “regeneration” deals in which private developers could get the chance to build on  small sites.

In theory, a developer could build a new council home in return for a part of a site to use how it sees fit.

In other deals, straight sales could be used to bump up the amount of money Camden can use on repairing council homes, thousands of which remain below the recognised Decent Homes national standard.

The ideas were conjured up by private consultants – brought in at a cost of £12,000 – to suggest strategies to raise revenue for housing in the bleak financial conditions.

The “regeneration” plans have echoes of a famous stand-off between tenants and councillors in Camden Town five years ago when council chiefs backed down from turning a disused playground on an estate in Castle Road into a block of new homes. A row over a small plot of land escalated into a major dispute as tenants protested.

It was suggested this week that the council should be braced for “180 battles like that”, but strategists believe the unprecedented economic conditions means there is little other choice than to press ahead with a full-scale review of everything the council owns.

Liberal Democrats, who sold off vacant council flats to try and bridge the gap when they were in power in Camden,  said they were worried that treasured community gardens and shared space on estates would now be hawked to developers.

Deputy leader Councillor Matt Sanders said: “There are 180 opportunity sites – gardens and playgrounds for all we know – which will be sold to the highest bidder. These plans read like a developers’ charter.”

He added that he was disappointed that Labour had to rely on consultants to come up with solutions.

Labour housing chief Councillor Julian Fulbrook insisted at Monday’s full council meeting that land and property valued by residents would be retained. His hypothetical example was a well-used parade of shops having no prospect of being sold off. But he added that other properties were “of no use at all”.

Rather than criticise, he wants ward councillors of all political shades to suggest land that could be considered.

“I’d ask all councillors to get involved. When I go around the borough I’m sorry to say I’m ashamed to see sometimes that there is a Camden Council sign on the derelict, dog excrement-strewn bits of property we have.”

Labour chiefs are worried that sceptics are playing down the dire nature of the financial predicament that local authorities find themselves in and misinterpreting the measures they will be forced into taking due to having less money from government.

And they insist they will take no lectures from the Lib Dems, who they say committed the “worst crime” when in power by selling off council homes which could have been used to ease the waiting list for cheap homes that were then “flipped” for large profit by developers.

Labour also claims it was the Lib Dems and Tories who began the area review of all property before losing their share of power at the Town Hall in May’s council elections.

Labour finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “The Lib Dems know all about this area review because they started it. 

“We are not saying that we are going to sell off all estate gardens – we are saying we want to work with ward councillors, tenants and residents to see which areas of council property are underused.”