The map shows how many sites are still to be developed 20 years after the 2004 Masterplan.
The South Kilburn Regeneration began as a concept in the late 1990s, with the New Deal for Communities adopted in 2001.
The first South Kilburn Masterplan was approved on the 12th July 2004 so the project has been going for 20 years and completion may take at least another ten.
The Minutes of the 12th July Executive Meeting show that non-Executive members were concerned that the Masterplan had not gone to the Scrutiny Committee. LINK
Tomorrow's Cabinet starts at 10am and South Kilburn is Item 12 out of 15 items LINK. The meeting will be livestreamed HERE.
Cabinet will be asked to approve a new chapter with the council seeking a single developer rather than a multiplicity of developers for the sites that remain. They include Queens Park & Cullen House, William Dunbar House and William Saville House, Masefield House, Wordsworth House and Dickens House, Craik Court, Crone Court and Zangwill House, Hereford House and Exeter Court, Austin House and Blake Court and John Radcliffe House.
The Cabinet are told that Early Pre-market Engagement has indicated interest from several companies to take on the very large task with attendant risks in the current climate. Economies of scale are cited as an advantage but there are still risks regarding viability
The regeneration programme is based on the cross-subsidy model where the receipts from market housing funds the delivery of affordable housing, social and public infrastructure. It is however notable that the programme has up until now benefitted from rapidly rising sales values as regeneration improved the area, but the sales values are now flattening out.
Meanwhile construction cost inflation has risen steeply and continues to remain high, this alongside the recent regulatory changes, specifically the second staircase, is putting viability under extreme pressures. Also, interest rate rises have affected both development market and purchaser demand. Affordability of the programme is expected to remain challenging and will need to be carefully monitored and robustly managed.
There are still tenants waiting to be rehoused on the estate in line with the Landlord Promise made by the Council that they would be rehoused on the estate. It appears that 164 will have to wait until after 2028:
933 tenants have been permanently rehoused in a new home in South Kilburn. Approximately 200 tenants have been permanently rehoused outside South Kilburn in a new build or an existing home around the borough in areas such as Harlesden, Willesden, Cricklewood, Willesden Green, Kensal Rise, Kensal Green, Brondesbury and Kilburn.
At time of writing there are 284 tenants across Austin, Blake, Dickens, Craik, Crone, Zangwill, John Radcliffe, William Dunbar and William Saville remaining to be rehoused. 120 of the 284 will have the opportunity to be rehoused between 2025 and 2028 in the developments under construction at NWCC, C&G and Peel. The rehousing team is working with tenants at Austin, Blake and Dickens as a priority for the next phase of rehousing as these blocks are in the poorest condition.
The report is franker that previously about the difficulties encountered, partly in support of the single developer proposal:
In a small number of developments however residents have experienced disruptive build quality issues. At Granville New Homes, Franklin, Chase and Hollister House, there have been issues with water leakage, supply of hot water and heating, poor workmanship and use of poor-quality material. Elsewhere, at Merle Court and George and Swift House fire safety issues with cladding has required significant remediation works.
Multiplicity of landlords and managing agents arising from the site-by-site development model is also reflected in the inconsistent and variable standards of management and maintenance of the public realm across the neighbourhood and sometimes on opposite sides of the street. This inconsistent approach has marred the community's experience of living, working and visiting South Kilburn.
Parts of South Kilburn have a concentration of sites at various stages of redevelopment - sites which are hoarded up and under construction, sites which are part or fully vacant. There areas have been experiencing increased levels of anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and squatting. Alongside this is the noise, dust, vibration, and traffic disruption arising from the construction itself.
Whilst these are the inevitable consequences of large-scale, long-term regeneration programmes, it presents significant disruption to the day-to-day experience of residents and erodes their sense of safety, community and ownership.
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The delivery programme as set out in the 2016 Masterplan review has been delayed due to economic and viability challenges and recent regulatory changes requiring extensive design amendments. Beyond the sites which are currently under construction there is no future pipeline of new homes. For residents (tenants and leaseholders) remaining in the existing blocks the uncertainty of not knowing when and where they are going to move is frustrating, particularly for residents living in overcrowded and poor quality homes.
For viability there will be an increase in the private homes quota as well as an increase in densification.
According to the 2016 Masterplan, the remaining sites can provide a further 1,400 homes. An initial review of the Masterplan has indicated that there are opportunities for optimisation, densification to deliver more housing The remainder of programme will include a higher percentage of private housing to re- balance the overall distribution of housing tenure and front loading of affordable homes provision in the earlier phases of the programme. The level of private housing will be critical to the viability of future phases.
There is never much discussion, and certainly not debate, at Cabinet - that is all done in private with officers at a private pre-Cabinet meeting, so this complex and risky proposal is likely to go through in a few minutes. It is important that Scrutiny Commitee (unlike in 2005) considers it at the appropriate time.
8 comments:
Finally an admission by Brent Council that not all the shiny new buildings built are as perfect as they have been telling us for years, even if they grossly understate the extent of the problems. The promise to rehouse tenants in South Kilburn is not the only promise they have broken. Anyone looking back at the original (2004) masterplan will find all sorts of infrastructure promises that have been `forgotten' over the years. And then there is the new medical centre already many years late and no one able to tell us whether, when it is finally opened (next year?) it will match up to the original promise. Biggest joke? We were promised "no more tower blocks in South Kilburn". Anyone living here, visiting or passing through will see the truth of that one. One of the many promises made about South Kilburn regeneration was that it would contribute to reducing the housing crisis. This was always dubious, given the concentration on building `affordable' (i.e. not) and for sale housing, but now in their desperation Brent is trying to find a single developer who will build an even higher proportion of private housing. Brent's own statistics show that those on the housing waiting list can't afford more than social rent, so the regeneration goes not an inch towards addressing that. There were flaws in this scheme from the start, but now it is becoming a disaster. And, of course, never any recognition of either the contribution that so much demolition (some of it definitely unnecessary) makes to climate change or of the damage done to residents mental and physical health from living in a building site for 20 years (and counting).
Comment received by email: From the statistics you have published in WM, there could still be 1400 more homes built across South Kilburn but only 164 will be needed to house the tenants, leaving possibly 1236 private homes.
After receiving planning permission in early August 2024 , the Hereford & Exeter scheme is still waiting to be approved by the Mayor (GLA).
The H & E scheme is likely to be the first one delivered by the sole developer but will it meet the council's timeline for the regeneration to begin by April 2026?
First of all the H & E scheme needs planning approval from the Mayor and then the sole developer when in post will need to look at the current plan, to see if it will still be able to deliver 109 homes for social rent, or whether the numbers will be reduced to make the scheme more financially viable.
Sad under Future development sites on the map here (brown so no definition in English law brownfield?), there is 27. South Kilburn 2 ha Public Open Space, 26. Kilburn Park Junior School and 25. Carlton Vale Junior School. While Granville Road Public Open Space (to the immediate left of purple 9. on map) is brown site with no name or number, but even with no name or number has to be public open space replaced in whatever final plan.
I would say Vistry wants all this future brown 'releasing' to them, they are really aggressive and love hard landscaping this flood area too. It is important to note that there is no car free housing tall building zone masterplan for 5 years as yet since this was as new Brent policy declared in 2019.
You can't really call brown sites with numbers and a pledge to increase densification a 45ha tall building zone masterplan (?), in the same sense as the community-led masterplan of 2004 with its respect for diversity and community building themes (Brent full council binned in 2016). Just one example, the 2004 plan green S106 invested and expanded South Kilburn's Park 27. eastwards, while this plan appears to brown this 60 years old Brent park instead? There is no car free housing tall building zone masterplan shared as yet so who/few knows. Clearly also important to know precisely how many estate residents need replacement homes, the numbers presented look a bit sketchy. The exclusion approach developers take to local brownfield estate residents since 2010 is in one word, disgusting.
South Kilburn is the Brent growth zoned pathfinder and Thank You Martin for showcasing to the rest of not conservation area safe housed Brent what is in store for them no plan growth, growth, growth wise from Labour decision-makers.
Brent does pick up on the ruins and remediations forever vibe of South Kilburn 2024 (regeneration year 23), build a block and leave it ruin being very much a depressing persistence repeat of the how the old tenanted architect designed social estate was 'kept' down/othered since 1979 ongoing towards its total death. Councillors/MP absent and officers seemingly unable to do anything to change persistence or to integrate with South Kilburn's surrounding conservation area and neighbourhood plan-led NO-to-GROWTH zones.
Reading the paper to Cabinet on this Single Developer Partner for SK proposal - " Thereafter monitoring through a process of scrutiny, accountability, enquiry, support and pragmatism to fulfil the interest of both parties in the partnership (council and developer), including the community... ( yet doesn't even bother to say which Brent community)".
"Pace"/ "At Pace" is an interesting oft repeated term in the text. February 2025 is given as the new partnership start date.
Text totally ignores the 2005 community-led Masterplan Supplementary Planning Documents existence (it cost £3 million and 3 years of estate resident consultation in the days when Brent was legally required to be in full partnership with estate residents). For this report, the first SPD was in 2016???
Glad to see an end to site-by-site SK, it was a brutal land war/ class war policy and looks like Cllr Tatler departs with it.
Text says that Brent still freehold land owns entire 45ha South Kilburn Estate massive tenanted population growth zoned experience to be forever ongoing?
There is a 2024 Review of the car free housing 51m tall building masterplan zone idea going on behind closed doors, so a Masterplan Review full consultation process should appear for this 45 ha estates residents anytime soon?
SDP's engaged so far want a single "Brent voice," which in the UK's most diverse borough is a big ask. What happened to listening to residents, go and talk to people in the 2ha central park here in tenanted tall buildings population growth zoned land. Or go visit high quality generous design human re-developments like those at King's Cross or at Earls Court. A new town at density doesn't necessarily need to be designed by greed as a living hell. There is an urgent need for Brent to move away from housing is the only S106 infrastructure in its tenanted population growth zones.
Another fine mess by Towerblock Tatler
Its been like a 'fail better' themed project on steroids zoned. I'm really hoping the decision-maker group-think can late in the day zoom-out and think about a human new car-free housing towns plan for an actual liveable tenanted place. This public owned 45 ha zone should attract conservation area/ neighbourhood plan-led neighbouring communities (that's all we have surrounding us) into South Kilburn in regeneration year 23 rather, than scare them off with ruins, remediations and neglect forever- the same as it ever was. Today I watched Vistry digging up 1960's green space turf outside Craik Court to pave it over bit-by-bit.
Comment received by email: As soon as the developer is in place, they will assess all the remaining SK schemes to see if they are viable.
All we know so far is that the procurement process to find a sole developer will not begin until the 24th February 2025, so it may take many months before they are appointed and be able to start on the new regeneration plan.
As Martin reported, there is no funding available after 2028 to develop the remaining schemes, which could be a problem for the council to find the funding, considering all their current financial difficulties over the coming years, as reported at today's cabinet meeting.
Brent should be able to access funds though to safely remove the dangerous Large Panel System towers north and south of Carlton Vale, these towers are the reason why South Kilburn had no option but to housing re-develop in 2001 according that is to Council and Government at that time. I don't see how these LPS towers somehow became safer 23 years later or is that yet another de-regulation?
Referring to the new 2024 future estate development sites map, it's the first time I have ever seen entire South Kilburn Public Open Space (27) indicated by decision-makers as being a total brownfield development site. From 2010 Local Plan it was the woodland area 1/3rd as 'site'/ ' first brownfield bite'. While the 2004 community-led masterplan/ 2005 SPD had todays 2ha park full green protected, green invested in and extended to replace Granville Road Public Open Spaces green loss to Granville New Homes. Many policy plans past and a new one pending.
To the left side on this map is Maida Hill, Britain's most overcrowded neighbourhood (census) no green space, but only 50 metres from access to this great 24/7 park or brownfield waste land depending on which single 'Brent Voice' is deciding the future.
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