The Tenants Action Group


4th November 2006


Your Ref :


Dear Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham,


You may recall that at a meeting with Eileen Buckton and yourself earlier in the year, we reminded you that the Hyde redevelopment on Pepys estate, Deptford, had not followed through on a Child‘s Play area — funded at £28K — which was a part of the planning approval for the scheme.


We have been awaiting a response about an inquiry that you — the Council - were going to hold with Hyde on this issue.


In the meantime Hyde HA have organised and held a consultation for their own residents only — telling us that their residents were all against having a Play area near to themselves.


Have the Council discussed this issue with Hyde ?


We feel that such a consultation should be put to the whole of the residents on Pepys — including the new private residents of Aragon Tower — owing to the overall community benefit to be potentially gained. Especially with the influx of a younger age profile.


All of our other facilities in the area, for example, the Riverside Youth Club, the 2000 Community Action Centre, the new SureStart; are all available to everyone in the local community. Not just a selection. Indeed all of them are available to the new Hyde residents.


At the end of last year, when we enquired at a Focus Group meeting with Hyde, we were then told that the funding of £28K ”had been spent elsewhere•. Which was why we subsequently raised the issue with yourselves. Yet we assume that the funds should still be made available.


More recently, Hyde wanted to do a further consultation about an alteration to Phase 3 of their redevelopment scheme. Once again their suggested consultation was with their residents only.


It was only at our intervention that it was then changed in to a more open consultation at the Pepys Resource Centre. Yet this was not a good as holding an Open Public meeting, where all of the arguments could be heard in one go, by everyone.


Yours sincerely


Malcolm Cadman, Secretary TAG David Fleming, Treasurer TAG