Objectors near Spencer Rise

A WAVE of new council housing is set to be built on estates – but many tenants say the Town Hall has ignored their concerns over the projects.

Known as the Homes for Small Sites, garages, pram sheds and car parks have been identified by Camden Council as possible sites for new homes – and now five estates have been confirmed for the works.

Plans are expected to be lodged at the council’s planning department by the end of the summer. However councillors face a huge battle persuading neighbours that the project will benefit everyone.

Camden hope to build 73 new homes for council tenants on the Castle Road estate in Camden Town, the Raglan Street estate and Bernard Shaw & Foster Court in Kentish Town, the Highgate Road estate and Spencer Rise and Churchill Road estate in Dartmouth Park. They estimate the new houses would provide homes for 44 families on the waiting list, 23 affordable homes for key workers, and six specially designed “supported living” homes.

Kay Reynolds has lived on Spencer Rise for three decades. Her estate has been earmarked for a new six-bed care home unit. But 36 out of 39 households there are against the scheme, with only one being in favour.

Ms Reynolds said Camden had tried to steamroll them through despite blanket opposition.

“This is a massive plan,” she said. “It was originally supposed to be six small homes in a  cluster, with a space for 24 hour carers. But it is now a state-of-the-art complex for people unable to live on their own. It may remain six units but they will be in a care home with communal facilities and space.”

She added the project seemed to believe the space earmarked was unused.

“Our objections include the fact we are losing lots of space,” she said.

“We have been through this with them but they have chosen to ignore it. For example, my husband is disabled. He needs a car for mobility and currently has a car parking space close to own home. This will be removed and he will be forced to park on the street, which is too far from him to get to.”

Sheds, used to store items that they do not have room for inside their homes, will also be lost.

Ms Reynolds added: “What little storage space we have will be gone, and there is no space for children here to play.

“We feel sorry for the people who need these homes but the army of staff they will require means this is not a suitable site. Shift workers coming and going will have nowhere to park. There is no space. This is a tiny street.”

The tenants add that many flats suffer from damp and mould. They have been told if the work goes ahead, homes will be repaired – but this has further infuriated tenants.

Ms Reynolds added: “They should do what they are legally required to do, and not try and blackmail us by saying we’ll get our homes fixed and all right to live in if we let them ruin our estate.”

The new homes are slated to be finished by 2026 and are part of the Community Investment Programme, which has seen 1,250 new homes built, more than 1,000 of them for council residents. Camden say they are faced with a huge housing waiting list and must find fresh options.

They added they had gone through a long consultation process and would ensure all work included improvements for all.

Housing chief Labour councillor Danny Beales said: “We’ve gone through a thorough engagement process and had lots of conversations with residents. Some residents were concerned about the scale, how building works would be managed, and what wider estate improvements would be delivered.

“We are balancing this feedback with the opportunities, committing to deliver estate-wide improvements where schemes go ahead, as well as delivering vital new homes.

“As we move forward with these proposals we will continue to listen to residents and work with them, so that together we can take action to meet the housing crisis in Camden and improve our estate.”