Earls Court tenants serve transfer notice on council

The regeneration of the area surrounding the Earls Court Exhibition Centre by developer Capco has been opposed by residents of nearby West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates since it was first approved in 2011.

The tenants yesterday notified the council of their intention to transfer the homes into community ownership under Section 34 of the Housing Act.

The legislation forces councils to cooperate with tenants’ stock transfer requests. However, under the rules, the council can object to ministers if it “can show clear evidence of a significant detrimental effect on the local authority’s ability to provide housing”.

Campaigners involved in the Earls Court estates have previously warned this would undermine their power to transfer the homes into community ownership, which has been their long-stated ambition for the estates.

The deal was agreed by the previous Conservative administration in Hammersmith and Fulham. Labour promised to protect the estates in its manifesto, and began taking legal advice on its options after a shock win in local elections last May.

However, it has remained tight-lipped on the fate of estates since – with council leader Stephen Cowan warning the developer would “crack on” if an alternative could not be found in December.

Keith Drew, chair of the tenants’ group for the estates, said: “We expect the government to support tenants to exercise our legal rights to be empowered to get on with our own plans for regeneration.”

A Capco spokesperson said: “The Earls Court Masterplan – including the plans to regenerate the estates – is well advanced, has broad support and will bring very significant investment and benefits to residents, the local area and London. The estates have already been sold under an existing binding contract, as already approved by the secretary of state.”

The plans will see 7,500 homes delivered, with around 10% of them affordable.