According to Life in Kilburn Brent Council has again breached data regulations by open copying residents' email addresses into an email about the Kilburn Square development consultation. This means that each recipient has access to all the private emails.
To make matters worse the send claimed in response to a complaint that it was impossible to send zoom details via blind copy (bcc) which zoom users know is not the case.
Life in Kilburn told Wembley Matters:
There were 21 residents on one invite but same issue on the invites to 2 similar meetings on different dates. It has also probably been happening to all previous residents invites to Zoom meetings for all infill developments, where the "consultation" is managed by this individual.
This is the second case in just a few weeks and appears to be the same department.
On Twitter @LifeInKilburn suggested this was not the whole story:
St Raphael's redevelopment delayed. What the Leader doesn't tell you is that the GLA have changed their funding criteria and that they will not fund housing that replaces current housing, making the full redevelopment option not financially possible.
This was a point also made by St Raph's Community group LINK
Inside Housing LINK covered the GLAs change of policy in December 2020 and quoted Helen Evans of the G15 group of housing associations:
The new programme will mean that grant funding will only be available
for additional homes in estate regeneration.
This is a big change from previous programmes, the extent to which
it makes a difference will depend on how much the estate is being
densified.
I believe estate regeneration, which already involves additional
costs of demolition and loss of rental income, will become more
expensive and unviable in some instances.
There may be some wriggle room for Brent Council and it could be that the delay is caused by protracted talks with the GLA. The GLA’s guidance states it will “consider funding these replacement
homes in exceptional circumstances”, such as if homes have become
“obsolete”. Does this apply to housing on St Raph's?
Inside Housing continued:
Guy Slocombe, chief investment officer at Hyde, said he hopes the
regeneration rules are “a broad generalisation” and that “some of the
homes that are being regenerated are being regenerated because they are
no longer fit for purpose”.
He continued: “Hyde has experience of large-scale regeneration which
involves replacing homes that would not meet the decent homes standards.
I believe that grant should be provided to replace these homes and I
hope that... regeneration projects will be considered on their own
merit.
Alternative funding may also be being explored. This is what the GLA document, Homes for London - Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026, LINK says:
Estate
regeneration
The
Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026 provides funding for estate regeneration
projects where the grant is used for additional homes. Funding will not be
available for units that replace homes that have been, or will be, demolished.
Where homes have become obsolete the GLA will consider funding these
replacement homes in exceptional circumstances, and only as part of a scheme
that will increase the number of homes overall.
Where councils are unable to
fund replacement homes within their own resources, the GLA will look to provide
alternative funding. Investment partners seeking to undertake estate
regeneration are encouraged to submit bids under this programme for units that
will increase overall supply and to discuss additional requirements with GLA
officers where further funding is required to support the replacement of homes
that have been demolished.
