FAQ's

Is the Aylesbury a privatisation scheme?
The Aylesbury is being redeveloped to improve the lives of residents. It has been evident for a long time that the current buildings constructed in the 1960’s do not meet modern-day living standards and will continue to deteriorate. The decision to demolish the estate was arrived at after various options were considered, in full consultation with residents. In 2005, the council’s executive committee made the decision to demolish the estate in stages, replace it with new homes and facilities. This decision was supported by the majority of residents.

How are Aylesbury residents being involved in the decision-making processes?
We are involving Aylesbury residents at all stages of the decision making process. Members of the four Tenants and Residents Associations and the Aylesbury Leaseholder Group sit on the Aylesbury Steering Group, which meets on a monthly basis to help formulate plans for the development. Residents are also members of the a sub committee of the steering group, and the Aylesbury regeneration group. Residents have also been extensively consulted with around the Area Action Plan.

There are a lot of new homes being built in the new area – will the increased density (number of houses) lead to overcrowding?
You may be surprised to know that the existing estate is built to quite low density. Although there will be approximately 4,200 new homes built as part of the Aylesbury redevelopment, we don’t believe the new area will look or feel overcrowded. While this is an increase in the number of properties in the area, the new Aylesbury will look very different from how it does now. The Area Action Plan outlines the best way to balance the new housing with open spaces and roads, to ensure a more pleasant and safe environment.

My new homes will not be owned by the council – how will this affect tenants?
The new homes built on the Aylesbury footprint will be managed by housing associations (also known as registered social landlords). They operate within the public sector for the benefit of the community and, like the council, are publicly accountable.
In the past housing association rents in Southwark have tended to be slightly higher than the council’s rents, and have varied from one association to another. However in 2002, the government introduced legislation to ensure that the rents set by the council and by different housing associations will be similar by 2010, for similar properties. If you are moving to a brand new home as part of the scheme your rent may be slightly higher than on the Aylesbury, to reflect the improved conditions and amenities. However your new rent will be set within both the government and Southwark Council’s guidelines for affordability and will be well below market rent values.
Housing associations have a policy known as assured tenancy. Assured tenants have statutory rights, which allow them to occupy their homes, protect them from eviction, and ensure that their landlords carry out repairs.

I thought existing tenants would be moving to homes on the Aylesbury footprint – not to offsite homes?
The majority of people in Phases 1 and 2 will be moving to homes off the estate via Southwark Homesearch. They will have the option to return to the Aylesbury footprint when a new-build home becomes available for them. There will however be some capacity for tenants to move into existing Aylesbury homes in the last area of the estate to be demolished (Phase 4), before they move to their new homes on the estate footprint. Some tenants will be able to move to new build homes on the estate footprint, subject to availability.
The majority of people in Phases 3 and 4 will be able to move directly to new homes built on the estate footprint. We have taken this approach to speed up the overall timetable and to ensure that people living in the large blocks in the worst conditions can be rehoused as quickly as possible.

How do you plan the scheme to make sure there is enough onsite housing?
The rehousing visits by the case management team and the housing registration process will help to plan the scheme so that enough properties of the right size are built to meet the needs of all Aylesbury tenants, including those who need to move offsite temporarily. The council will nominate to the new properties in accordance with the phasing plan.

How will the disruption from the demolition process be managed?
When the council selects development partners for each phase of the estate, there will be required controls in place to ensure that the way the area is demolished and built causes as little disruption to residents as possible.

What happens when community facilities are demolished. Will temporary replacement facilities be set up?
It is not likely that temporary facilities will be arranged. New permanent facilities meeting a range of needs will be built as part of the overall development.

How will community safety issues be managed eg: squatting, people isolated in blocks?
We will create an estate management team to manage the estate over the period of the regeneration. The team will include anti-social behaviour specialists, tenancy and housing officers, youth workers, environment officers, and wardens who will work closely with the police. The estate management team will make sure that the Aylesbury remains a safe and secure environment for residents as more and more people move off the estate.

Will homes that are going to be around the longest continue to be maintained?
When the decision was made to demolish the estate in 2005, the council gave a commitment to ongoing maintainence of the estate for as long as is necessary. This will ensure hat the safety, security and well-being of all residents is maintained during the course of the regeneration. Work will be carried out on properties to ensure the
money is spent sensibly and the properties with the longest lifespan receive the most attention. We have and will continue to develop particular strategies to respond to the needs of the estate.