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Tenant ballots in London will not affect approved regeneration schemes
Major regeneration work already set to get underway across London will not be subject to tenant ballots.
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration, published last Friday, backed residents’ right to vote on regeneration projects where demolition of social housing is involved, in a significant U-turn.
Peabody, which is due to start onsite at its huge regeneration of Thamesmead in Greenwich in summer, confirmed that it did not anticipate needing to hold tenant ballots on the parts of the scheme that already have planning permission.
But for phases that have not yet gained approval, a spokesperson said: “We will continue to ensure that there is full consultation and involvement with residents, and once more detail is available, will look at how we can take this forward.”
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Barnet Council – which approved Genesis’ regeneration of the Grahame Park Estate before Mr Khan blocked the scheme for its loss of social rented homes – said the project “should be covered by the transitional arrangements” because of the housing association’s Strategic Partner status.
It added that 79% of Grahame Park residents backed regeneration in a 2003 ballot.
Lambeth Council has five regeneration schemes across the borough set for Greater London Authority (GLA) funding, three of which do not yet have full planning permission.
“The council has met all of the principles laid out by the mayor’s guide for these five estates and the proposed new funding condition will not be applied retrospectively,” it said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the GLA said: “Ballots will take place whenever demolition is proposed and it’s a condition of mayoral funding.
“They can’t be used retrospectively, so will be for regeneration schemes coming forward, but crucially requiring mayoral funding.”
Inside Housing has asked City Hall to clarify the stage at which tenant ballots will be required for new regeneration schemes.
Paul Hackett, chair of the G15 group representing London’s largest housing associations, warned that ballots would have a “significant effect” on the group’s members.
Draft GLA guidance published in December 2016 did not include a tenant ballot requirement – though Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn later announced his support for the concept in September last year.
The policy is still subject to consultation until 3 April.
