Dreams and Nightmares on the South Kilburn Estate

Cranes loom as you approach the South Kilburn Estate 

Following the Brent Scrutiny Meeting on regeneration where resident Pete Firmin spoke passionately about the problems with the South Kilburn regeneration I decided it was time for another visit to see for myself.

What follows is a series of photographs that illustrate some of the issues that Pete spoke about and convey what it feels like to live on a building site for many and questions around the quality of the new buildings.

 

A campaign for new bins was successful but emptying only once a week and dumping by outsiders leads to overflow problems

Another dump

The scaffolding around Alpha House where bits flew off during a recent storm. Brent Council said the danger was not their responsibility. It has been up for 6 months but work has taken place only three times 'if that' during that time. Apparently the work is on guttering which is actually accessible via the roof cavity. Only one light is working on landings and some residents are forced to use torches at night.

 

 Despite the housing shortage this flat in Gorefield House has been unoccupied and boarded up for more than 10 years after its use by contractors.

 New builds have problems too. This is emergency heating at the recently completed Countryside Woodrow House.

 

 Work continues on the HS2 vent site (chosen by HS2 after pressure from Brent Council in preference to a site next to Queens Park station).  I am told that the noise is such that residents of the flats overlooking the site sometimes have to be offered temporary hotel accommodation as a respite,

 

 

 Residents of Carlton House and other old buildings  suffer from the noise and dust of demolition of neighbouring buildings such as Winterleys House and will suffer again when building works take place. 

 

 

Remediation works on the decade old  L&Q Swift House. The start on the building was commemorated by a 2012 Muhammed Butt plaque now surrounded by remediation supplies. The scaffolding has been up for more than three years.The cost must be enormous.

 

 L & Q have problems elsewhere.  There have been long term heating issues at Chase House and Hollister House that have resulted in cold homes and no hot water, When I last visited  more than a year ago the green space had been occupied by emergency heating equipment, now post work on the heating the site has been left in a mess. Had the repairs worked? A resident answered, 'A little bit'.

 

 

I am told you can gain entrance by over-riding door security via the fire control

 As the regeneration progresses and blocks have been demolished, residents have been 'decanted' into remaining blocks. The 'Landlord Promise' made by Brent Council was that tenants would eventually be offered new flats on the estate. They are now wondering whether that will really happen as regeneration falls behind schedule and the doubts about the financial viability of the proposed new build social housing. Meanwhile their temporary housing deteriorates and they face multiple problems including incursions and squatting. See LINK for an account. The Blake Court demolition notice had expired but is now extended to 2029.

 Apart from Blake Court there is also Dickens House and Austen House in an area that looks forgotten and neglected, but nature sometimes relieves the gloom.

 Shops are left abandoned.

 

Even the playground equipment is collapsing

 

 What began as a tribute to Jane Austen is now a tribute to decline.

 

 

Apart from the heating issue some of the other new blocks have problems. It appears that faulty downpipes on Cambridge Avenue have caused damp and mould at intervals all along the frontage.

 

 People in the recently completed blocks have found themselves amidst a builders' storage area.

 

 But they are  are warned about disruption.

Despite the evidence to the contrary all around them, Countryside have a dream.

 Revised plans are due for the Hereford andExeter site this summer but there are potential issues regarding viability on the site that is planned to be 44% social rent.

The report to Scrutiny said:

The Hereford and Exeter scheme has been provisionally approved to receive the GLA Affordable Homes Programme Grant. However, even with the average grant rate, and more favourable developer assumptions, the scheme would still have a negative Residual Land Value (RLV). There is a current workstream to test the viability of the scheme to see what level of grant would be necessary, or what reduced level of affordable housing would be required to reach a positive RLV.

A rare example of a well-loved and maintained building is the Albanian Mosque but it is due to be replaced by a 13 storey block, perhaps with mosque facilities at ground floor level.

 

.

One of the issues that South Kilburn residents are concerned about is the lack of delivery of a new Health Centre that was promised as part of the infrastructure improvement. The old Centre is abandoned and there is a temporary Centre in an old Housing Office. Cllr Tatler blamed the NHS for delays at the Scrutiny Committee meeting

 

There were battles over the Carlton and Granville Centres and the adjacent nursery school but now work is well underway. It is good to see some of the trees have survived so far.

Opposite is the South Kilburn Open Space, a precious green resource but also a potential vital resource for flood management, particuarly now so much of the area will be built up. Carlton Vale Infant School and Kilburn Park Junion School are due to be merged and accommodated in a new building on part of the space. Residents are keen that on demolition the present sites should become part of the open space to compensate. As much green space as possible is needed in view of the huge increase in population of the development area envisaged. Much of the amenity space in the new development is private. 

 

I will finish with an attractive walkway that is public, at present anyway. It is important that public space like this is maintained. There are problems at present with buck-passing because so many different developers and owners are involved in the patchwork that was once one council estate. There needs to be a clear map showing responsibilites across the estate.

 

Cllr Shama Tatler promised to visit the estate to talk to residents at the Scrutiny Committee and Cllr Promise Knight is due to tour to see progress/problems although I am not sure whether residents are involved.  I really do hope that they will be in listening mode as dreams often turn into nightmares.