At the heart of Kennington Park Estate in Oval is our Community Centre which is well used and loved.
Hyde Housing now plans to get rid of our Community Centre. In its place Hyde wants to build expensive flats for private sale.
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UPDATE – Hyde has extended the deadline for its consultation on the future of our Community Centre. We now have until 5pm on Friday 6 January 2017 to tell them we oppose their plans to demolish our Centre. You can do so here
https://www.hyde-housing.co.uk/tenants/resident-/community-centres-review/
And keep signing and sharing our petition here
https://www.change.org/p/save-oval-s-kennington-park-community-centre
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The TA has responded to Hyde’s Review of Community Centres, expressing our opposition to their plans for Kennington Park Community Centre.
This is what we have said in our conclusion:
“This is a manifestly flawed, fraudulent Consultation. We believe that the words “existing plan” are being used as a smokescreen for Hyde’s true intention to demolish our Community Centre and replace it with private flats for sale to the highest bidder.
Not only is the recommendation to continue the “existing plan” without putting forward any proposals for the future funding and management of the new Community Centre included in that “existing plan” deceitful and disingenuous, it is reneging on the commitments given to KPE residents in March 2015 when they were consulted on that new Community Centre. In addition, there is insufficient financial and other data provided for any reasonable person to reach any kind of reasonable judgement or to propose any reasonable and viable alternative.
The residents of Kennington Park Estate are opposed to the closure of our Community Centre and will oppose any redevelopment plan which does not include the continued provision of a community centre funded and managed by Hyde, in line with its promises when KPE and the land the community centre stands on were given to Hyde by the ratepayers and residents of the London Borough of Lambeth in 2005 and again in 2015.
We believe that, by withdrawing its support from KPCC and the other community centres, Hyde is missing an opportunity to show that it still holds firm to its vision “to make a lasting difference to people’s lives”.
Well-meaning amateurs are no substitute for professional community workers who are trained to identify potential, enable it to flourish and encourage integrated and inclusive communities on Hyde’s estates. We would remind you of the following statement by the Department for Communities and Local Government in its Guide to the Localism Act (November 2011):
Every town, village or neighbourhood is home to buildings or amenities that play a vital role in local life. They might include community centres, libraries, swimming pools, village shops, markets or pubs. Local life would not be the same without them, and if they are closed or sold into private use, it can be a real loss to the community.
The destruction of Kennington Park Community Centre will be more than a real loss to our community. It will damage the cohesion and social fabric of our Estate and we call on Hyde to reconsider its recommendations.”
You can read our full response here, along with the response from Oval Ward’s councillors.
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Sign and share our petition to save our community centre here
https://www.change.org/p/save-oval-s-kennington-park-community-centre
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At the heart of Kennington Park Estate in Oval is our Community Centre which is well used and loved.
Hyde Housing now plans to get rid of our Community Centre. In its place Hyde wants to build expensive flats for private sale.
Hyde Housing first put forward proposals to demolish our Community Centre in 2014, with a promise that it would be rebuilt. Residents were consulted on what they wanted from a new Community Centre. We published their March 2015 plans and proposals here. But now Hyde is no longer planning to replace the Centre, just to build flats in its place. But not social housing. These flats will be for sale to the highest bidder at a considerable profit to Hyde.
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Our Community Centre hosts a range of activities, including legal advice sessions for residents; Councillor and MP surgeries; zumba exercise classes; adult learning; computer training; youth clubs, kids’ karate, church groups, pensioner groups, dance classes, weddings, birthdays, yoga, social events; tenants’ meetings and many more.
Hyde says that our Community Centre is not used enough – but they stopped people from making bookings for months because of the supposed redevelopment.
Despite Hyde’s deliberate efforts to run the Centre down, it continues to be an essential and key focus of the community. There are 750 homes on the Estate and residents need a Community Centre. 2,000 people visit it every month.
Hyde is turning its back on its promise to residents that it would support the centre long term, as agreed when the land was transferred from Lambeth Council.
In a summary of the housing transfer proposal and the benefits it would provide, Hyde promised:
– The existing community buildings will be refurbished to provide facilities for all residents.
– Buildings will be maintained in good repair and in good decorative order.
– [To] work with the Kennington Park Estate Community Centre … to create venues for local services such as health screening, older people’s clubs and youth health education classes.
Hyde is also planning to get rid of the Stockwell Centre by leasing it out. More details are here:
https://www.hyde-housing.co.uk/tenants/resident-engagement/community-centres-review/
Kennington Park Estate Tenants Association is fighting these unacceptable plans along with Oval Labour Councillors Jane Edbrook, Jack Hopkins and Claire Holland. Please sign this petition and share it with your friends and family.
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