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Clarion cancels controversial planned demolition of most of Sutton Estate
The UK’s largest housing association, Clarion, has said it has cancelled its controversial plan to demolish and regenerate the Sutton Estate in Kensington, London.
A spokesperson for the 125,000-home landlord told Inside Housing it has gone back on proposals to demolish 383 flats on the estate and will instead carry out improvements to most of the homes and bring empty properties back into use.
It announced the decision today, six months after housing secretary James Brokenshire rejected its regeneration proposal because it would result in an unacceptable loss of social housing.
Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, told Inside Housing in October that that proposal was “morally” wrong.
Clarion came under particular criticism for leaving much of the estate empty since 2016, especially in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in the summer of 2017.
It had originally argued that the empty homes should not count as existing social housing, but the government’s planning inspector disagreed.
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Clarion said in a statement sent to Inside Housing that it has “been reviewing the plans for the estate and can confirm that we will not be resubmitting the proposal rejected by [Mr Brokenshire] in December”.
The housing association will instead be consulting with residents on “entirely new proposals”, which it said “will be shaped in consultation with local people”.
The new plan will acknowledge that four of the blocks (A to D) cannot meet decency standards for new housing and will require redevelopment, with priority given to estate residents for new social homes.
However, the remaining blocks – E to K and N to O – will no longer be redeveloped. Instead, the association will invest in improvements to the properties.
Clarion said it will install new kitchens and bathrooms, with all residents seeing “an improvement to the exterior of the blocks and public outdoor space” as well.
Clare Miller, chief executive of Clarion, said: “Our overriding priority is to meet the needs of current residents living on the estate and to secure the future of social housing in Kensington and Chelsea.
“We are committed to delivering a sustainable future for the Sutton Estate and look forward to working with the community to realise our shared ambition.”
Mr Taylor-Smith said: “We have been supporting residents for many years and it’s great news Clarion has confirmed they have revised their plans.
“Tenants will be delighted to have the uncertainty over the future of their homes removed. I hope that the Sutton Estate can return to the outstanding estate it has been through the co-operation of Clarion and residents.”
