HomeNews & Updates

Next TA meeting – 27 April 2016

 To tenants and leaseholders of Kennington Park Estate You are invited to attend a Meeting of the Kennington Park Estate Tenants’ Association To be held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 27 April 2016 at the Kennington Park Estate Community Centre 6.30 pm – local councillor and Hyde staff available for private help or advice plus refreshments Prompt start of meeting at 7.00 pm All tenants and leaseholders are members of the Association and welcome to attend meetings A G E N D A Welcome and Introductions Apologies for absence Minutes of the last meeting of the Association held on 17 February 2016: For approval and matters arising (here) New cleaning and grounds maintenance contract: Latest information from Tony O’Connell, Estate Services Contracts Manager Housing management and estate management issues: Reports and queries from tenants and leaseholders for the attention of HSH management Proposed merger between Hyde, London & Quadrant and East Thames…

Continue reading

Our Rents for 2016-17

  UPDATE 14 April 2016 – KPE RESIDENTS – MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR SERVICE CHARGE, RENT AND DIRECT DEBIT NOTIFICATIONS CAREFULLY. WE HAVE FOUND A NUMBER OF ERRORS! Contact your TA reps (see contact details in the right-hand column) if you need help in understanding these bills.  ****************************************************   Tenants will have received a notice from our landlord, Hyde, this week notifying us of the amount of rent due from 4 April 2016. The TA considers this notice misleading, to say the least, as it gives the impression that tenants will have to pay less than we currently pay. This is very unlikely to be the case because we pay service charges on top of our rents. Last year some residents saw their service charges nearly double and the TA has no expectation that they won’t be increased again this coming year. Indeed, most residents have already been informed (in the…

Continue reading

The Housing and Planning Bill – Planning Changes

The plans set out by the government in the Housing and Planning Bill are shocking, and Joan has covered the threats wonderfully in her blog. The Bill includes changes to the Town Planning system that purport to increase the opportunity for development on brownfield land.  But what about the definition of brownfield land?  In my mind, I see a flat, empty disused site with nothing in it, that could possibly use some development, so that sort of sounds ok… Let’s check that definition, in the Department for Communities and Local Governments’ Technical Consultation document: “Brownfield or previously developed land is defined in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework. Sites on brownfield registers will be required to meet this definition of previously developed land. This is a very broad definition and, apart from the exclusions, covers all land in England where there are or have been buildings or other development.…

Continue reading

The Estate We’re In

Barratt Homes’ regeneration (e.g. demolition) of a 1960s council estate in West Hendon is captured in this documentary, although Barratt refused to participate. Definitely worth a watch. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t0ydd/the-estate-were-in

Continue reading

Kill the Housing Bill!

Opposition to the Housing Bill is building. The Chair of KPETRA, Joan Twelves, has written a blog post about it, explaining the devastating effect it could have on residents of Kennington Park Estate. It can be found by clicking here or https://joantwelves.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/the-great-london-clearances/         More actions against the Bill are being planned and details will be posted here.

Continue reading

Oval Gasholder Listed

Good News! Our big gasholder has been granted Grade II listed status. The gasholder is an important part of the Oval and Kennington Development Area (OAKDA), for which Lambeth Council and Berkeley Homes are currently working up the development masterplan. This is what the BBC News website says:   The Victorian gasholder that looms over the Oval cricket ground in south London has been granted Grade II status. The wrought-iron structure in Kennington was the largest gasholder in the world when it was built in 1847. Gasholder No. 1 was rebuilt in 1877-79, just before the first Test match in England was played at the Oval in 1880. The historical, architectural and technical background of the gasholder and its importance to the landscape led to it being granted protected status. ‘Iconic backdrop’ Emily Gee, head of designation at government heritage agency Historic England, which recommended the structure for listing, said…

Continue reading