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Archive
First homes under construction for Aylesbury tenants
13 December 2006
Ref: 5352
The first new homes to rehouse Aylesbury Estate residents are now under construction, marking a fantastic leap forward in Southwark's Council's regeneration plans for South London.
Cllr Richard Thomas was joined by Aylesbury residents, Southwark Council and NDC officers, and local MP Harriet Harman for the official launch.
The 44-unit development, located between Samuel Street and Daniel Gardens, will be made up of a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom homes, including generous maisonettes and houses with gardens and terraces. Twenty-two of the units will be available for current Aylesbury residents.
The building - designed by Pollard, Thomas and Edwards architects - will be mixed tenure with half the homes for rent and the remainder offered as affordable housing.
It is being constructed by Hyde housing association, who have a long working relationship with Southwark Council, including previous Peckham Partnership regeneration and work on Bermondsey Spa.
The development is one of four funded by the Housing Corporation, located within a one-mile radius of the estate. These will provide the first 127 homes for Aylesbury tenants in Big Bradenham, Little Bradenham, Chiltern, Chartridge, Arklow House Red Lion Close.
Cllr Richard Thomas said: "This is a fantastic step forward towards a great future for this area. After a substantial period of planning, this is exactly what people have been waiting for - the first new homes for Aylesbury residents going up."
"Today's celebration shows the strong relationship between the council and residents, and we aim to work together to ensure that Aylesbury tenants move into new homes that suit their needs."
Aylesbury resident Jean Bartlett added: "I have been talking about change at Aylesbury for a long time and I am delighted it has started at last. We now have a good team in place working well together on the Aylesbury project, that should ensure that residents get what they want and deserve."
Tony Taitte, resident and chair of the Aylesbury NDC Board added that he was looking forward to residents' getting involved in the design process as the scheme moves forward.
He said: "The homes being built here are the beginning of nearly 5,000 that will make up the new neighbourhood. If residents are involved more closely in the creation of the environment and the accommodation of where they live, their homes and surroundings will be better equipped for their needs."
Notes for editors
1. The Aylesbury Estate which lies to the east of the Walworth Road, and north of Burgess Park, encompasses 285,000 square metres and is home to over 7,500 people. On September 27, 2005 Southwark Councils executive committee made the decision to demolish the estate in stages and replace it with 2,200 homes for rent under housing association control and around 2,700 homes for sale or shared ownership. Existing facilities including the Aylesbury Day Centre, Tykes Corner childcare facility and the Aylesbury Health Centre will also be improved. This decision was supported by over 50 per cent of residents who responded to an extensive consultation programme.
2. The Aylesbury New Deal for Communities (NDC) is a regeneration initiative with £56 million to invest on the estate over a 10-year period. It aims to remove barriers to achievement that many local residents experience in their day-to- day lives. Local residents have identified their main concerns as employment, the local economy, education, health, housing, the environment, crime, and community safety. The Aylesbury NDC works to empower residents to achieve their goals, and with Southwark Council and other agencies to assist in this process.
3. The Hyde Group is one of the largest housing association groups in the country. They provide housing and related services to over 75,000 people in London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. Their total rolling development programme averages £300m and provides approximately 1000 new homes each year. Hyde is one of the Housing Corporations partners in delivering new homes through the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP), and received an allocation of £97m for the period beginning April 2006 to provide 2200 new homes.
