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Riverside residents vote in favour of regenerating London estate
Tenants at a south-east London estate owned by a housing association have voted in favour of regeneration.
A July ballot of tenants in the 163 rented homes at Riverside’s Calverley Close estate in Beckenham has indicated support for a nine-year redevelopment plan.
Riverside has entered into a joint venture partnership with developer Countryside on the scheme, which the pair said aims to address long-standing issues of overcrowding and poor access.
The vote, confirmed last week by the independent Civica Election Services, found 60% of tenants who voted were in favour of the proposals, based on an 80% turnout. A total of 151 people were eligible to vote.
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Carol Matthews, chief executive of Riverside, said: “We are very pleased that a majority of voters endorsed our proposals to provide new homes on the estate.
“This decision means we will be able to provide overcrowded families with new homes that meet their needs, improve tenants’ living conditions, whilst at the same time keeping the existing community together.
“The result is a culmination of working with our residents to develop proposals that will benefit everyone on the estate.
“We will continue to work with and listen to our tenants and the wider community as the proposals move forward.
“We have made a commitment to ensuring that Riverside tenants remain central to our decision-making as we shape the details of our planning application to the London Borough of Bromley this winter.”
Together with Countryside, Riverside will be submitting a planning application to Bromley Council by the end of the year, following a full community consultation.
The project has been given support from the Greater London Authority (GLA), which will partly fund the construction of social rented homes on the estate.
Around 350 homes for both rent and sale are planned on the estate along with investment in new community facilities such as green spaces and a play area for children.
Andrew Usher, managing director for partnerships south London at Countryside, said: “We are delighted that residents at Calverley Close have voted in favour of the regeneration of their estate and would like to thank them for all the time they have given us to help shape the future of their estate.
“We are committed to ensuring that the scheme delivers on its promises; exemplary placemaking principles and sustainable architectural design will be applied to deliver an improved mixed-tenure layout that serves the needs of existing residents and the wider community.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with residents as the design moves into the planning application stage.”
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