By Michael Savell
Last week I was invited to address the local planning board for the Royal Borough of Greenwich (where I live) having objected to the removal of 86 mature trees to facilitate an extension of Kidbrooke Village.
My challenge was unsuccessful and planning permission was granted.
I have to say that it is four hours of my life that I will never get back. I found the whole experience depressing and a waste of time.
From Ferrier to Kidbrooke
Kidbrooke Village is being developed on the site of the Ferrier estate in South East London. The Ferrier was a council-owned estate of mainly social housing but obviously, post Thatcher, some owner occupiers as well.
The Ferrier did not have a great reputation and also because of its construction needed money spent on it by the council.
Royal Greenwich took the decision to sell off the estate for redevelopment by Berkeley Homes with provision for “some social and affordable housing”
The Ferrier had around 1950 dwellings on the site in a mixture of houses and low to medium rise blocks. Currently the total that Berkeley Homes has built or intends to build is 5500 on the same bit of land.
Since the original planning consent, Berkeley have returned for amendments of the plans at every stage of the development with the latest increasing the size of the 5 blocks to be built along Kidbrooke Park Road from 382 flats to 540 with the developers claiming that 140 will be “affordable”.
Not Affordable Housing
L&Q, who manage one of the completed blocks, are offering shared ownership one-bedroom flats for an “affordable” price of £400,000. You can buy a 25% share for £103,000 with a 10% deposit. Bargain! Then you pay rent on the remaining 75%, although you will be responsible for meeting 100% of the cost of internal repairs and maintenance, as well as your share of communal costs.
After paying the deposit, your mortgage for the remaining £93,000 will cost around £750 a month plus rent and current service charges of around £800 per month. Your ”affordable” flat will have council tax in band c or d adding another £1,500 a year approximately, and you will be connected to the district heating system which has a standing charge of just over £400 a year. You will not have the choice of changing your heating provider.
Now your “affordable housing“ is costing you around £1800 per month but of course you will be at the mercy of L&Q when it comes to increases in the service charge and rent.
But at least it is affordable.
The average salary in London is £44,370 with a take home salary of around £33,000. The mayor says that “affordable housing” should be no more than 40% of take home pay. With 40% of £33,000 being £1,100 per month, the average salary is going to fall considerably short of the £1800 per month that you would need to be able to afford to buy in Kidbrooke Village.
Greenwich Council’s Betrayal
Our elected councillors have happily given planning permission to a development for wealthy buyers that will do nothing to ease the housing crisis in London and other areas around the country.
Their behaviour is not unique. Councillors across the country have committed to developments that don’t help those that need housing the most. The lure of large amounts of council tax, planning fees and sundry payments that developers make to the council is no doubt at the forefront of their priorities.
The revised plans that I opposed at the meeting increased the size of the blocks from up to nine storeys to around 15 storeys, and will lead directly to the destruction of 86 mature trees which previously contributed to helping the air quality on a very busy road.
Not a problem though as if the developers pays the council £400,000, the effect on climate change goes away! Why were we not told that it is so easy to deal with climate change, just pay the cash and solve the problem? Maybe someone should tell the BBC so they can tell everyone that we are not doomed to global warming after all.
My main point however is that affordable housing is not affordable except for the very few and these developments do nothing to allow nurses, care workers and even teachers and police officers to own their own homes or live in areas where they work.
The Need for Self-Organisation
Whoever wins the election, proper affordable housing must be at the top of the political agenda – either good quality social rented properties or quality affordable homes to buy. Given the lack of support from the local council, I won’t hold my breath. In the meantime, I will continue to work with SHAC to help tenants and residents organise to resist such abominations.
7 June 2024
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