Council Survey Shows Support for Estate Redevelopment
Charlton House, Albany House and Albany Parade residents back proposals
Artist's impression of the redevelopment
|
A residents’ ballot held by Hounslow Council has shown significant support for a scheme to redevelop three blocks of flats in Brentford.
People living in Charlton House, Albany House and Albany Parade were asked their views on the proposal. 81% responded to the ballot with 87% of those voting in favour.
Initial proposals suggest that the about 92 existing flats will be redeveloped to provide up to 225 new units. Retail provision will be retained at ground floor level and all secure tenants and resident leaseholders will having the right to return when the work is completed. A planning application is expected sometime later this year with a decision in about March 2022.
The council have undertaken a comprehensive assessment of its 171 estates, with the aim of identifying those that will need to be updated over the next 20 years and this has led to the decision to redevelop the buildings in Brentford. The programme's aspiration is to provide 50% homes at council rent levels with secure tenancy, subject to viability.
Dave Cox, Chair of the Charlton House Residents Association said, "The Yes vote is a vote for a brighter future. As residents, we know what the inherent problems are with the buildings, which will continue no matter how much money is thrown at them. The regeneration will give us a chance to live in up-to-date homes. The Council, in its offer, has committed to fully supporting residents throughout the regeneration and into their new homes."
View of the estate. Picture: Google Streetview
Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council said, “This is an overwhelming ‘yes’ to our regeneration plans for Charlton House, Albany House/Albany Parade. It's a fantastic result for the residents and the borough. The Council embarked on its estate regeneration journey early last year, just before the pandemic which then made the journey more challenging, as we were not able to engage and consult with residents in ways that we normally would. However, the results are evidence that we truly worked in partnership with our residents. The result also represents a major milestone in not only delivering brand new council homes but also the first regeneration of a council estate in many years.
“This is an exciting time for residents who have given their clear support for an improved neighbourhood. We are committed to building new council homes, and the proposed 200 new homes as part of this scheme will go a long way to meeting the needs of local people. I look forward to working with the residents and tenants to make this happen, we are also committed to providing new shops and open spaces”.
Pandemic restrictions had an impact for the consultation processes, which still saw council staff talking to residents to explain the proposals and get their thoughts and ideas. Last summer, the Council held a series of open-air workshops to identify residents’ priorities and aspirations for their homes and community. Feedback was used to create the initial designs and over two-thirds of residents attended. During the lockdown, the council’s team says it has been in weekly contact with residents, consulting on the proposals and keeping them informed.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
March 10, 2021
