Poor consultation
( 2.1 ) The Council consulted, yet did not listen to tenants objections, and preceded its own way. No tenants were involved in the decision to
appoint Hyde Housing Association.
( 2.2 ) No tenants representatives were on the Lewisham Housing Commission
panel, yet Gavin Moore, Deputy Mayor was on the panel.
( 4.3 ) The survey was seriously flawed as 90% of the questions were nothing to do with diversion from EA, but were a detailed sociological study - taking around 1 hour to complete.
( 4.4 ) Tenants were not consulted on any Housing Association 'partner'. This is an 'in house' agreement taken by the Council, also by so doing the Council has to provide work to each partner.
( 4.5 ) This was a 'closed' decision, and not revealed to the public. 5 days before Christmas, 20th December 2000, again a secret decision was made to select on bidder.
( 4.6 ) This has still to take place - our legal advice shows that all
tenants of Aragon Tower and the 5 low rise blocks should have been consulted
- with the full proposal. Not those few remaining after 'decanting'.
( 5.1 ) Tenants did nor agree to Hydes' appointment. Tenants were not involved in the brief for this competition. At the exhibition a clear view from the tenants was that the BPTW scheme was the least liked.
( 5.2 ) Tenants had no trust in the process taking place at this time, and subsequently. As evidenced in local newspaper reports, Neighbourhood
Committee and Regeneration Forum meetings, etc.
( 5.3 ) Tenants were not involved in the choice. BPTW were the least
preferred - for various reasons.
( 5.4 ) Tenants were confronted with an option they didn't like, and had not chosen. The Council and tenants were in opposition, which is poor practice, as Estate Action was formed in the early 1990's as the result of very good practice - with a 'Planning For Real' process, where Officers, Councillors, experts all worked together as equals.
( 5.5 ) This confirms that the proposal in 5.3 was completely unacceptable
and should never have been put forward by Hyde and BPTW.
( 5.6 ) This omits a deferment at the March 2001 Planning meeting, after
objections from Pepys' tenants. An estate visit was made with the Planning
Committee ( 5 ), Lewisham Officers, and tenants. At the April 2001 meeting
more councillors were brought forward ( 9 in all ), an Gavin Moore, Deputy
Mayor, addressed the Committee under Standing Orders. An 'unheard of'
occurrence. TAG has subsequently complained about planning procedures, and fairness to the public attending.
( 6.1 ) Aragon Tower was never approved by tenants to go in to the private
sector. Of the Councils proposal
( 6.2 ) Tenants have not yet seen any proposals for the style and size of Aragon Tower. It should not be out of context with the recently refurbished
Eddystone and Daubeny Towers, as they are all identical.
( 14 in all )
( 2.4 ) The Pepys Neighbourhood Committee voted 100% to keep Aragon Tower for social housing, possibly through a HA, not for privatisation.
( 4.1 ) The phasing of the Pepys Estate Action programme has meant that
Aragon Tower and the 5 low rise blocks have had 10 years of neglect. No major repairs or maintenance.
( 8.2 ) The existing properties are in good condition and are structurally
very sound. Yet they have been neglected by the Council for 10 years.
( 8.3 ) Building flats for flats is not a qualitative gain. The existing
flats are built to a far higher specification than anything being proposed
today - Parker Morris.
( 8.4 ) We will oppose any special plea to Secretary of State, for Aragon
Tower, given the circumstances in which it has occurred.
( 8.5 ) We oppose the process throughout.
( 9.1 ) 2.18m has been taken from Estate Action funding when it should
come from Capital Receipts.
( 9.3 ) We do not understand how the Council can forfeit rental income over such a long period, as their public responsibility.
( 10 ) The GLC scheme has already established an outstanding environment
that has been protected for over 40 years. Refurbishment will contribute
further to this.
( 11 ) We need to see the Councils' overall budget forecast in detail.
( 10 in all ).
( 2.3 ) This is 'decanting', picking off tenants as individuals rather than for their collective rights.
( 5.7 ) We agree with nomination rights ... yet the first call should be to Pepys 'decants', not 'urgent decant cases' which in this case equals Silwood tenants. Pepys should not come 2nd or 3rd.
( 7.1 ) The decanting and pressure to Aragon Tower tenants is unfair, given also that the full proposal has not been put forward.
( 7.2 ) The decanting should not have taken place, and should be halted until proper consultation has been done. Individual tenants have been'misled' in to accepting the proposition that they only have 2 offers.
( 7.3, 7.4, 7.5 ) This pressure on tenants should not be taking place.
( 7 in all ).
( 4.2 ) There is serious concern over the financial overspend by 1998 which caused this problem to occur, i.e, the Eddystone Tower Neighbourhood Office, the temporary move to Parker House ...
The Council needs to do a cost analysis of refurbishment as opposed to demolition and rebuild. For example, a 3 bedroom flat in Marlowe House has been valued by RTB at 84K. Taking an 'average' of 60K per flat this would value Marlowe at 3.12m. To refurbish would cost only 600,000. To demolish would cost 1.2m, and then to rebuild at a cost of 80K per unit for 60 flats on the site would be 4.8m. So in total Marlowe alone would 'lose' a value of 3.12m and cost a further 6m to re-establish. Hydes' total budget from Housing Corporation is 30m, year on year funding.
( 3 ) We ask you - Executive Committee - to defer any agreement as the advice presented is seriously flawed, and an unsound basis on which to proceed.
We have taken our own legal advice regarding Ground 10A of Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1985. All original tenants of Aragon Tower and the 5 low rise blocks should have been consulted, jointly and individually, on their view of the overall development scheme being put to Secretary
of State.
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Denial of human rights >
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