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Council demands return of Earls Court estates
A west London council has called for two estates listed for demolition to be returned to it from the developer planning to regenerate the area.
In a statement, Hammersmith & Fulham Council said it had further considered developer Capco’s request for a new masterplan but decided it could not support the proposed level of density and affordable housing.
Stephen Cowan, leader of the council, wrote to residents on the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates in December regarding speculation that Capco was considering selling the homes to a third party.
In its response to the speculation at the time, Capco confirmed that it was still planning to deliver a new masterplan for the area.
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This masterplan, however, has now been rejected, with Hammersmith & Fulham Council calling the scheme “undeliverable” and saying that returning the estates to the council “is the only viable way forward”.
The plans for the regeneration were approved in 2012 when the council, now Labour led, was controlled by the Conservatives.
Mr Cowan has since called the sale of the estates to Capco “a poor deal for residents”. Falling prices in the luxury central London market in recent years have caused difficulties for Capco, with the scheme’s valuation falling from £1.4bn to £1.1bn.
Jonathan Rosenberg, community organiser of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates, told Inside Housing: “Residents are fed up with being kicked around in this high-stakes game of property speculation.
“Capco wants to exit the Earls Court scheme, but there’s no way anyone will buy it so long as our estates and our deeply entrenched campaign are part of the package. The best way for them to de-risk the redevelopment is to hand back the estates to the council. For the sake of our community, they should do it now.”
