Greenwich Council looks set to drop two estates from controversial plans for selling plots of public land to private housing developers.
Last year councillors agreed to look into selling land in The Heights, Charlton, as well as plots in Kidbrooke Park Road and Quince Road, to Pocket Housing.
Pocket, a specialist developer, planned 151 one-bedroom apartments across the sites, which would be sold to Greenwich residents at a 20 per cent discount.
The proposed sales sparked fierce opposition from residents and some councillors, who brought the decision back to the table through a ‘call-in’, pressing for further consultation with those living on the estates.
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The scheme came under criticism from neighbours concerned about cramped estates, and from councillors about a lack of transparency over the sales and the principle of selling public land to private developers ahead of building council housing.
The council said the sites suited specialist developments, and said the money made from the sale would fund estate improvements and new council housing in the borough.
However, in light of the consultation, Kidbrooke Park and Quince Road are now set to be dropped from the scheme.
It will be recommended to councillors on a scrutiny panel next month that those sales are scrapped, but the council pushes forward with selling land at The Heights.
The Heights
Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Chris Kirby, tweeted this morning: “This scheme is the first to have gone through our recently agreed consultation process.
“This new process is designed to give local residents – and those in housing need – a genuine voice in the decisions we make about how we provide housing in the borough.
“I can confirm that we will be advising the scrutiny panel that we are minded not to proceed with the sale of land at Kidbrooke Park Close or at Quince Road.
Totally agree. Council land should only be sold for the public good . https://t.co/uI6j1oQvhX
— cllrjfahy (@Cllrjfahy) January 22, 2019
The right decision. In my view, there is only a case for selling publicly-owned land on which there is no realistic prospect of the Council building its own genuinely affordable public housing for those on low incomes. https://t.co/bAFd1agYvC
— Matthew Pennycook MP (@mtpennycook) January 22, 2019
“Residents on both estates expressed a range of concerns about the scheme and we have listened to their feedback.
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“I can also confirm that we will be advising the panel that we are minded to proceed with the proposed sale of land at The Heights in Charlton. This development would be on contaminated land that we would otherwise be unable to develop.
“I want to stress that at this stage these are recommendations and not the final decision. The scrutiny panel will look at this report, scrutinise the consultation responses and then provide a further recommendation.”
The Heights in Charlton has been earmarked for 45 apartments in a four-storey building.
Quince Road
Some argued the council, or its arms-length development company Meridian Home Start, should have been brought in to develop the sites – but the council said specialists were needed because of the nature of the plots.
Pocket specialises in “affordable compact homes for first-time buyers”.
The recommendations will be formally discussed and voted on in the coming months.
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