Council has had difficulty in getting vacant possession of accommodation
Moving tenants into new homes in South Acton has slowed during the pandemic
The redevelopment of the South Acton estate and other housing projects in the borough have been delayed due to coronavirus restrictions slowing down the process of moving tenants ahead of construction.
In total, approximately 3,500 homes will be demolished and replaced with at least 4,000 new social homes across the borough.
There are a number of redevelopments underway including the £600 million project in South Acton, which will eventually see the demolition of 52 blocks.
Once completed Acton Gardens will deliver more than 3,500 homes, of which around half will be affordable or social rent properties. Hundreds of homes are also planned for Green Man Lane, Havelock, Dean Gardens, Golf Links, Copley Close and High Lane.
The makeovers of estates in Allen Court and Rectory Park were completed in 2018 and 2020, bringing around 1,000 homes to the borough.
Updating Ealing Council Cabinet about the progress of all remaining developments, Councillor Lauren Wall said, “We face particular financial challenges caused by increasing development costs and finance costs, and uncertainty in the economy following the government’s mini-budget and interference by government in social rent levels.”
While developments are progressing, a report has revealed that some developments have been somewhat slowed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Before developers construct thousands of new homes, current tenants have to be moved to alternative accommodation.
The report reads, “The past year has proved challenging for regeneration programmes where decanting and buy-back of leasehold properties is a major factor in the progression of schemes. Covid restrictions have meant that fewer tenants are moving home generally and evictions have been put on hold.
“In addition, restrictions placed on County Court action have delayed the buy-back of many properties where they have been let by landlords. Similarly, the progression of Compulsory Purchase Orders has been slower during successive lockdowns.
“This has reduced the number of homes available to residents that need to move away from regeneration estates meaning some estate decanting programmes have been extended which has affected the new build programmes.”
Acton Gardens is one of the biggest redevelopments in the borough, involving the demolition of 1,860 homes. Plans were approved back in 2012, with discussions with residents going back to 2010, and the project is now at the halfway point with 1,716 homes delivered and 382 under construction.
However, more than 600 households are part of the ‘demanding’ plans to move them out. As part of the redevelopment, tenants have had to be moved from their current homes to new accommodation. However, this has slowed due to the impact of the pandemic
The report says, “The effect of the coronavirus pandemic over the past year has severely reduced the ability of the regeneration team to move secure tenants who have chosen to move away from the estate and delayed the implementation of Compulsory Purchase Orders.
“The delay in decanting has impacted some phases more than others. The regeneration team and developer partner have recently worked to re-phase the programme in the medium term to minimise the impact on the delivery of new homes.”
The report adds that the re-phasing has ‘carefully balanced’ the requirement to provide new homes to those who wish to remain in the area, as well as ensuring residents have a location choice within the redevelopment.
The report says that no change is required in the way that Acton Gardens scheme is being delivered. It is due to be complete in 2027.
In 2018, more than 90 per cent of residents approved the redevelopment of the High Lane estate which includes the phased demolition of eight blocks of flats. The redevelopment will see the construction of 505 new homes, which will be a mix of flats and terraced housing.
Again, like Acton Gardens, the pandemic has prevented some residents from moving out so development can begin. The report says: “The effect of the Coronavirus pandemic over the past two years has significantly reduced the ability of the regeneration team to move secure tenants out of Phase 1 and delayed the implementation of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs).
“Plans have been prepared that should allow a meaningful start on site to be achieved in order to draw down the GLA grant allocated to the project that would not require vacant possession of all three blocks in phase 1.”
Megan Stanley - Local Democracy Reporter
October 16, 2022
