Islington Council plan will ‘crucify’ Bemerton estate leaseholders

Published: 8th April, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

PLANS to pull down an estate which was refurbished to the tune of £4.4million just six years ago will “crucify” the tenants and leaseholders who live there, opponents say.

More than 100 leaseholders of the Bemerton estate in Barnsbury met last week to join forces and battle the Town Hall plans. 

Some leaseholders still owe up to £18,000 from the 2005 refurbishment of the estate and fear the depressed housing market will see them out of pocket if they are forced to sell up to the council.

Brian Potter, chairman of Islington’s Leaseholders Association and the Federation of Islington Tenants, added that those who pay rent on their homes will be forced to leave the borough for good as once the flats are rebuilt new housing benefit rules mean they will not be able to afford to return.

Dr Potter accused the council of pulling down the estate merely to satisfy their promise to the government to build 1,000 new homes a year.

“Tenants and leaseholders will both be crucified over this,” he said. 

“The council says 58 per cent of residents support the demolition, but that is based on interviewing just 250 households. I held a vote at the leaseholders’ meeting on Thursday and of 100 the people who were there only two said they supported the proposals.”

He added that the solution to any problems on the estate was not to knock it down.

“There’s vandalism on every estate,” he said. “What are you going to do? Knock down every estate in the borough? People like living there. The solution is better policing.”

Islington Council is currently consulting on plans to demolish the 30-year-old estate – often targeted by anti­social youths – and have it completely rebuilt.

Mr Zane Zhang, 41, chairman of the newly formed Bemerton Leaseholders Association, said members felt their interests were not being protected by the council. 

“We feel we may be forced to accept whatever offers the council and the developer makes for our homes before demolition starts,” Mr Zhang said.

“Then the possibility of like-for-like exchange in the new-built estate appears to have been ruled out.”

Mr Zhang, an office manager, added: “The best offer so far is called half-equity, which means the leaseholder owns half of the new flat and pays rent on the other half. This is ridiculous, especially for elderly residents who suddenly go from being a home-owner to a tenant, let alone those who still have big mortgages on their property.”

Mr Zhang said that some residents bought their property in 2006-07, at the height of the market, and are highly likely to be worse off, even out of pocket. 

He added: “It seems leaseholders would have no other choice but to sell to the council. 

“The first problem will be the fairness of the valuation. Then, as the redevelopment is delivered in phases, the timing of the valuation and the ultimate sale could make a significant difference as the property market could go up or down. The whole thing would become a lottery.”

Executive member for regeneration, Labour councillor Paul Convery, whose Caledonian ward covers the Bemerton estate, said: “We want to make the Bemerton safer for children, remove areas where anti-social behaviour takes place and generally brighten the place up.” 

He added: “We don’t want people who have lived here all their lives feeling that they can’t afford to buy back in when the estate is complete.”

James Murray, the Town Hall’s housing chief, said: “We’re asking Bemerton residents to weigh up the pros and cons – making sure the people who live there are involved in deciding the next steps. 

“Once we know what people think of the ­initial ideas, we’ll be able to explore some of the options in more detail and consult further with residents.”

He added that every household on the estate had received a questionnaire on the issue.