Grove Park estate in Lewisham is set to receive £60 million worth of investment after residents voted to transfer ownership from Lewisham Council to London and Quadrant Housing Trust.
A total of 1,439 homes on the Grove Park estate will be transferred to London and Quadrant Housing Trust after 56 per cent of eligible voters took part in a ballot and 78 per cent of these said they were in favour of the transfer.
Over the next 30 years, London and Quadrant Housing Trust will invest £60 million in Grove Park, with £20 million being spent on in the first five years. This will ensure tenants and leaseholders benefit from homes that are well maintained, modern and warm in a neighbourhood that is attractive and safe.
London and Quadrant Housing Trust will also work hand in hand with residents to ensure they get an excellent housing service and have a real say about how their homes are managed in the future.
The key promises made by London and Quadrant Housing Trust to Grove Park residents are:
- More community control – a resident-led community board will control how money is spent, define work priorities and oversee the management of homes.
- Extra investment for tenants and leaseholders – not only will London & Quadrant Housing Trust improve homes to exceed the Government’s Decent Homes Standard, but it will invest money to improve external communal areas and green spaces.
- More than just bricks and mortar – money has been set aside for employment and leisure opportunities for young people and improvements to community facilities.
- Safer, stronger communities – London and Quadrant Housing Trust has a strong track record of combating anti-social behaviour and will be funding Neighbourhood Wardens and working with the Council to improve lighting.
Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Services said, “Since the start of the Government’s Decent Homes Standard was introduced Lewisham Council has been working continuously towards meeting the new standards for decent homes. Much of this time has been spent actively working with the residents in Grove Park. Lewisham believes in a resident led approach to meeting both the investment needs of decent homes and improving their services.
“We are delighted that residents at Grove Park have voted and chosen one of our Local Registered Social Landlords, London & Quadrant Housing Trust, as the partner to deliver on a range of promises. We look forward to continuing our work with residents and helping them fulfil their wishes for better housing.”
Don Wood, Group Chief Executive at London and Quadrant Housing Trust said, “This is an historic decision for the residents of Grove Park and we are delighted that they have voted to transfer to us.
“Our task now is to repay the faith that residents have shown in the Trust by transforming their homes and neighbourhood into places they can be truly proud of. We are in this for the long term and will listening closely to residents to find out what improvements they want and how we can make Grove Park a real jewel in the borough’s crown.
“A lot of hard work has gone into this transfer and I would personally like to thank all the residents who have got involved so enthusiastically, everyone at Lewisham Council who has supported us and helped make the transfer process a smooth one, and all the London & Quadrant staff who have done a great job in helping us achieve this result.”
Michael Hill, Chair of the Grove Park Residents’ Steering Group said, “I have lived in Grove Park for nearly 11 years. When I joined the Steering Group and became involved in this process I found that the stock transfer proposal offered the people of Grove Park their best option. We chose London and Quadrant Housing Trust because we felt that their idea of what Grove Park could become matched our thoughts. Also, we were impressed with the work they had done elsewhere.
“Having had a successful ballot we are all looking forward to working with London & Quadrant Housing Trust to provide the residents of Grove Park with the housing and quality of services they deserve.”
Lewisham Council will now consider and ratify the transfer and work with London and Quadrant Housing Trust to finalise details. It is anticipated the transfer will be complete early next year.