Sanford is the oldest purpose-built housing co-operative in London Pics: Sean Mullervy

A Deptford housing cooperative now accommodating 120 people continues to thrive in “a crisis” London housing market described as desperately short of affordable private renting and home ownership.

In the last fortnight renters across London have staged protests against disproportionate fees and rents charged by letting agents. At a speech in Worcester on April 25, Ed Miliband laid out propositions for housing reform, and proposed a landlord’s register to go some way to regulating the private rental housing market and protecting tenants. The coalition government is offering subsidised mortgages to try to help first-time buyers onto the housing ladder. Politicians are acknowledging that there is a problem with housing provisions in the UK.

However, at Sanford Housing Co-operative in Deptford, some 120 people are managing to avoid the pitfalls of the traditional housing market. For around 40 years, Sanford Walk has been nestled in the nook of a branching train line in suburban south London. It’s a peaceful, private street with verdant gardens, a pond full of frogs and fish and an impressive bike shed built from old railway sleepers. It was set up by student activists in the 1970s to provide affordable accommodation for single people priced out of the London housing market.

The rent is very reasonable — the residents at Sanford pay £250 a month, including all bills and council tax, which is almost unheard of for a location just a few minutes from central London by train. The reason the rent can be kept so low is that there is no landlord. The tenants of a co-operative own the site collectively, and the money they pay in rent all goes back into the site. Each resident has a responsibility to contribute to the running and maintenance of the site.

Mark Langford is a support officer who helps with the administration of Sanford. He said that a co-operative is a housing model which provides a stable, affordable home in a strong community. Members have control over their own housing and there is no profit motive. There are occasionally problems with conflict between members, but Mark says  the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

“You have to acknowledge that it’s not a perfect system, but it’s pretty good,” Langford said. “Everyone has a right to have a democratic say in how the place is run, which has got to be a good thing in the end.”

The members have a lot of interest from other groups who want to set up their own co-operatives. They come to Sanford as a pioneer of its kind to find out how to progress but, Langford said, “unless you’ve got money, it’s very difficult to set co-ops up in London and the South-East, because things are just so expensive here”.

If a co-operative housing model can succeed on a larger scale, the government would have to do more to encourage it.

On the evening of April 29, a documentary entitled Living In The Future was screened at Sanford. It was part of the Deptford and New Cross Free Film Festival which had been taking place at venues in the area last week.

The subject of the film is the establishment of Lammas, a low-impact eco-village in Pembrokeshire in South Wales. It is about people who are seeking an alternative kind of housing, and how that alternative model can fit into mainstream society.

The event was organised by Maura Framrose. She’s been living at Sanford for about six months, and has organised several events at the co-op for the film festival. Her aim is to educate and explain to people alternative housing models. The private rental market, she says, is a system that benefits nobody. “I don’t blame landlords. I blame the system that we’ve created whereby a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, great, house prices are rising, let’s buy up, let’s buy to make money.’ No. You need somewhere to live. That’s basic.”

One reason people are turning to co-operative models is because house prices are unaffordable, especially for single people. Alternative housing models are being sought not because they are radical, but because they are practical. While a place like Sanford may lie somewhat outside of the mainstream, Framrose said they are inundated with applications from people wanting to live there.

But is co-operative housing a viable large-scale solution to Britain’s housing problems?

Both Langford and Framrose pointed out that, while people of all ages live there, co-operative housing as it’s manifested at Sanford is most suited to young people. Couples and families are not allowed.

Dr Tom Moore is an assistant researcher at the Centre for Housing Research at the University of St Andrews. His field of expertise is community land trusts, which are similar to co-ops. Community groups purchase land and hold it in trust so it can’t be sold on the market. In England, most of these trusts have the aim of providing affordable housing. There’s one in Tower Hamlets — the East London Community Land Trust — and like Sanford, members pay £1 for a share and can then vote on issues affecting the organisation.

Co-operatives and community land trusts can provide a solution, but at the moment it’s only on a small scale. Dr Moore said, “In an era when government policy is very much favouring home ownership and it doesn’t seem very keen to invest in social housing or other forms of affordable accommodation, these communities are the ones who are doing that in their local area.”

As well as financial investment from the government, there would also need to be infrastructure and supportive organisations. The Localism Act (2011) has placed a certain amount of power into the hands of community groups should they choose to exploit it, but Dr Moore said it’s too early to assess what impact this will have.

“Simply introducing legislation alone isn’t the answer,” Moore said. “There needs to be a simultaneous injection of resources as well.

“There are viable housing alternatives for many communities and they can make a significant contribution to the housing sector, but it’s not a cost-free solution for the government. It’s not a cheap option. It still requires resourcing, it requires support and there’s a significant role for

infrastructure organisations to help support communities to fulfil their objectives.”

Housing co-ops like Sandford could be a viable solution to rising housing costs. Pic: Sean Mullervy

Michelle Smith is the London lead manager at the National Housing Federation. She said the most pressing problem for housing in London was the short supply of homes:

“Housing co-operatives can be a great solution for local people looking for more affordable and secure rental options. As a country, however, we need to address the real root of the housing crisis: we’re simply not building enough homes.

“As London’s population increases, demand for housing is rising but supply isn’t keeping pace with demand. This means prices are on the up, waiting lists for social housing are getting longer, and renters are not in a strong position to negotiate with letting agents and landlords.

“The only long-term solution is to build more homes of all kinds to ease the London housing crisis.”

At this stage, it seems unlikely that co-ops will provide a large-scale solution to housing problems in London, unless there is significant investment and support. As Langford and Framrose both pointed out, it’s up to individuals — and collectives — to take matters into their own hands and seek out an alternative.

Bellway development visualisation from the top of Pellerin Road/Salcombe Road Pic: Bellway development

Local residents have criticised a new housing scheme in Salcombe Road, just off Kingsland Road in Dalston, that’s been approved by Hackney council. Campaigner David Spurring complains that the only concession the  developers had given them was ‘bricks.’  He said the new building was “incredibly ugly and institutional looking” and that local residents were appalled by its ‘semi-industrial’ design.

The new building, designed by developers Bellway Homes will consist of 30 new apartments, three of which will be luxury flats on the top floor.

It will be taller than the surrounding buildings and its height and closeness to existing homes has angered the local residents association. They have been mobilising the community on the internet and by going door to door.

East London Lines spoke to campaigner and local resident, David Spurring, 63, on why he opposed the new scheme. He stressed that the local residents welcome development of the site, a former children’s home, but strongly object to how it looks on the outside:

Part-time teacher and local resident Judy Owen, 72, is also concerned by the prospect of the new building. She lives in a ground floor flat on Pellerin Road and fears that she will loose the daylight in her living room. She says the residents association believes in positive communication and is going out of its way to feedback good and constructive ideas to Hackney’s Planning Department:

East London Lines has contacted Planning Officer, Steve Fraser-Lin, who recommended the new development for approval. He referred to the report prepared for the planning sub-committee in which the planning department state say they do not find the height of the proposed building out of context in “an area that already has a variety of building heights, forms and styles.” The planning department also said that the height and mass of the proposal has already been reduced from previous designs that had been discussed at the previous meetings.

The scheme was finally approved at a council planning  sub-committee meeting on Wednesday May 1.

At the meeting, the planning committee approved the plans for the building on the grounds that  “the proposals are considered to help to meet housing needs in the borough.” The council also said the proposals “would not detract from the appearance of the surrounding area or the amenity of adjoining occupier.”

However, according to resident spokesperson, Lex Bamforth, 39, the councillors lacked the context to properly understand the application and their objections. “They just didn’t know enough about the applications. At the same meeting, they approved a development plan for a different building that included a wall only 3 metres from a resident’s window.”

On the matter of whether the plans presented to the councillors were accurate, the report from the meeting states  “Comments with regard to the accuracy of the drawings are noted. However they are considered to be sufficiently accurate to consider the proposals.”

Reporting by Benedikte Granvig.

The new Martin’s Yard development in Brockley Pics: Dennis Funk

A new business development in Brockley is due to open within the next fortnight. Finishing touches are currently being made to Martin’s Yard, located off Endwell Road, close to Brockley station.

Martin’s Yard was designed by architects Duggan Morris. The buildings are designed to look like beach huts, with touches of bright pastel colours, and the meandering narrow road between them is something akin to the natural contours of a beach.

The development is mixed use, as is favoured now by many local authorities, and has 33 business units to let (managed by MacDonald Egan).

The business units will be left in a shell state for the tenants to customise as they wish, and they have been built to allow modification in the future.  There are also 47 “affordable” residential units to let (managed by Gallions Housing Association).

Rob Hammond of MacDonald Egan

Rob Hammond, assistant development manager at MacDonald Egan, says they have an agreement with Lewisham Council that six of the business properties will also be “affordable” and will be let to small businesses operating in the creative industries. At the moment, only two of the units have been let, although the developers say they have not yet started to market the properties in earnest.

Jennifer Summers is a local entrepreneur, and is the managing director of an information management business called ONEIS. She also runs the Hilly Fields Network, a group that encourages local small businesses to collaborate and share skills with each other.

She currently operates from her house in Ladywell, but has been looking for office space in the area for some time. She said the lack of suitable premises is holding back the development of business in the area, but she’s excited about the Martin’s Yard development and what it could mean as a new business hub for Brockley and the surrounding area.

Despite the economic recession, Summers’ business is thriving. She runs ONEIS with her husband Ben, and they have just hired their first full-time employee.

She said there is always scope for a good idea to succeed. “In almost any situation, there’s business opportunities. If you can deliver a useful service that others will pay for, and you can sell it for less than the cost of providing it, then you have the potential for a successful business.”

“It would be a lot easier for businesses to succeed if the economy of the country as a whole was buoyant, if people felt confident and happy and were out spending money,” she said.

And while many people across the country are facing hard times, Jennifer said the best way for the government to foster business growth is to invest in the wider community, and not just focus on business.

“I’m more concerned about the government supporting the economy as a whole than business-specific initiatives. Businesses need a healthy workforce, so stop the sell-off of the NHS. Businesses need an educated workforce, so support education and make it easier for bright people to get to university. Businesses need reliable, affordable public transport, so stop exorbitant fare rises. Business happens in the context of a community and you have to support the community as a whole for everyone to do OK.”

Blog Brockley Central has called Martin’s Yard the most significant development in Brockley since the arrival of the East London Line.

The opening of the East London Line in 2010 connected the south-east London with areas like Shoreditch, in a journey time of less than 20 minutes. Shoreditch is now famously home to the Tech City hub based around Old Street.

An advantage for Brockley in terms of business development has been its transport links, which connect the south-eastern suburb with central London in a few minutes.

Summers goes to many meetings and events in that part of London, and said that the ease of travelling between north-east and south-east London may encourage more tech businesses to set up in Brockley. She said that having a local network is hugely important for small businesses.

Local tenants play Housing Crisis Chance Pic: Julie Thing

Tenant groups from across London have convened in Hackney to launch a new campaign called Let  Down. The groups are reacting to changes in the private rental market and fighting for improvements for renters by calling for lower rent, an end to fees for tenants, proper regulation of letting agents, and an end to discriminating against people on housing benefits.

“Not many people are aware of the roles that a letting agency might play,” said Bethan Steen from Tower Hamlets Renters. “Agency fees are something that anyone is familiar with, but because they are so hidden, they often get forgotten. We just want to raise awareness of those issues and let the people that are working in these agencies know that we are taking action against them.”

The campaign was kick-started with a day of action against letting agencies.  In Islington Green, a Monopoly-themed event was organized by campaigners from Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets. With banners, a megaphone and people dressed as tokens from the classic board game, the group marched to various local letting agents where they played a game called Housing Crisis Chance to compete for a flat in East London.

Local residents passed by and took part in the event. One of them was Moby who said he experienced the changes in the private rental market and thinks it has made London a place for rich people.

“It’s a social programme against people who are poorer,” he said. “If you have the money, great, but it’s getting to the point where people are getting turned into peasants again. You’re working and 50 per cent of your rent goes to the landlords.”

Another campaigner called Owen said the housing situation is a tragedy because people cannot get a home in an acceptable condition and he wants more rights for residents.

“I don’t think councils around London do nearly enough to protect private sector tenants,” he said. “…I think it’s right that people stand up, and come together to be able to say that it’s time for tenants’ rights to be respected.”

The high cost of buying a property has meant that more people are opting to rent. At the same  time renter’s conditions seem to be getting worse, with rising prices and letting agencies or landlords taking advantage of the demand for tenancies.

The renters market has traditionally consisted mainly of students but recent research conducted by Shelter shows that an increasing number of families are turning to the market because they cannot afford to buy a house.

Even though people now spend a longer period in private rented accommodation, most individual tenancies do not last more than a year, which is a standard length for a private rental contract. When the contract ends, the rent can be raised as much as the market allows and the landlord can change the terms of the contract.

Pic: Victoria Galvin

On Wednesday April 24, BBC Three’s Free Speech came to Goldsmiths to record the fourth episode in the second series of the programme on the subject of ‘Rent Britain’- the difficulties that young people face in being able to set up their own homes.

Rents in London are increasing 8 times faster than wages.  One survey indicates that some people can expect to stay living at home until they are 43 before they will be able to afford their own homes in the capital.

A live debate and discussion show, Free Speech is aimed at 16 to 24 year olds, interacting with young people through the use of social media. On the panel for this show was political commentator Raheem Kassam, Labour MP David Lammy, Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie and comedienne Sara Pascoe.

Topics for discussion are posted for discussion on the show’s Twitter and Facebook sites, to gauge how relevant they are to an audience of young adults. James Emtage, the digital producer of the show, said, “Some debates fall really dead, and at that point we think, ‘Maybe that isn’t really an important issue to young people.’ But other debates can literally go on for days, at which point we think, ‘This is a massive issue…’ We can then use the daily debates every day to have an idea of which debates we think might make it into the live show.”

The audience was composed of politically active members of the local area of south east London. East London Lines attended the pre-show briefing and spoke with some of the audience members about how young people engage with politics. Samuel Mack-Poole, 28, a socialist and a republican, said that he uses social networking sites to link up with others of a similar political persuasion. “What I like about it is you can find like-minded individuals on there… Facebook’s very good at bringing people together in that way, but it’s also interesting to look at what your opponents think, so I look on quite virulently right-wing groups as well.”

David Lammy spoke to East London Lines before the show about the difficulties young people face in London, and his use of social media. He said he has been known to tweet: “I cover all the range of media… I’ll do the lot to try and reach different audiences.”

The next Free Speech programme is on BBC Three on May 22nd.

Reporting by Victoria Galvin and Sean Mullervy

Beyond the Bad News: The Future for Women 2013 Pic: Tower Hamlets Council

An event hosted at the Idea Store in Whitechapel Wednesday 24 April investigated how the bedroom tax is affecting local women.

Although this reform is being implemented nationwide, the meeting indicated that social housing residents and housing benefit recipients in Tower Hamlets and across London are likely to feel the pinch as they struggle to keep up with the ever-rising cost of living in the capital.

The event “Beyond the Bad News: The Future for Women 2013″ brought together local politicians, women’s organisations and residents, pledging to support women  through the latest round of welfare reform that they say will affect single mothers and large families most.

One of the main organisations behind the event was the Fawcett Society, one of the country’s leading women’s rights organisations. Speaking at the meeting, the organisation’s Chief Executive Ceri Goddard called on government to “reconsider their spending decisions” before inequalities worsened.

Young women from the voluntary organisation Leaders in Community were also invited to perform spoken word poetry, rap and interactive drama to illustrate women’s fight for equality in both the past and at present.

Other speakers included Daisy Sands, Policy and Campaigns Manager for the Fawcett Society, and Louise Russell, Chair of the Welfare Reform Task Group in Tower Hamlets.

Sands noted that 60-percent of those affected by the bedroom tax will be single mothers and all run the risk of being “pushed out into cheaper areas of the country”. She added that the cuts would also severely affect larger families who will see huge drops in their income, saying: “many [families] will no longer be able to meet their housing costs, they can no longer stay in their local communities and they will be forced to move out into either cheaper parts of London, out onto the outskirts, or out of London altogether.”

Councillor Rabina Khan emphasised that the concern at the heart of opposition to the current round of welfare reforms was “the impact on children”.

She said that the reforms would make it more challenging for parents to provide a good quality of life for their children. As for her own work within the council she stated “we’re already working with our tenants from Tower Hamlets Homes in order to ensure that people don’t fall into rent arrears, and that we can work with them to either downsize or look for a new tenant or new accommodation, either through mutual exchange or some other kind of housing provision.”

East London Lines sound report on the event:

The use of private bed and breakfast accomodation to house homeless Croydon families for longer than the legal period of six weeks has severely increased since 2011, according to figures obtained by EastLondonLines.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that in 2011 there were just five cases where families had spent more than the legal limit in B&B accomodation in the borough. But in 2012, this rocketed to 70 cases and there have already been 71 cases so far in 2013.

The consequence of this is that since the start of the current financial year, Croydon Council has spent over £1 million of taxpayer’s money on B&B accommodation for homeless families.

A spokeswoman for Croydon Council said: “Like many local authorities, the council is currently experiencing a shortage of temporary accommodation and we are having to make greater use of emergency accommodation such as bed and breakfasts to house homeless families.

“Until around 2008/9, the council was able to source private rented accommodation, which provided sufficient properties to meet the demand for general needs temporary accommodation and homeless prevention. “

The council blames the economic downturn and its impact on the housing market for the lack of private rented properties available to the council. The council has also been considering housing homeless families outside the borough, as ELL reported here

The Council received more than 2200 applications from homeless people and families last year.

Figures released by Shelter shows that 8,758 households were on council housing waiting lists last year and 2086 households were in temporary accommodation in the 3rd quarter of 2012.

“It’s hard, it’s very, very hard,” said Racheal Wells, 26, a Croydon mother of three children under four years old, who has been housed in B&Bs since October 31.

Since January 7 she has been in what the council calls “emergency accommodation. ” She has no idea when she will be permanently re-housed: “It’s accommodation, it’s something alright for a holiday but not for a long period of time.”

Steve Reed. Pic: cllrstevereed.wordpress.com

Croydon families face more hardship as a result of the Government’s benefit cap, a local Labour MP has warned, ahead of the trial due to start in the area next month.

Steve Reed,  Labour MP for Croydon North told Eastlondonlines that although “capping benefits is fine” setting the cap at the same level nationally was unfair. The Government’s £500 per week benefit cap that will be rolled out in Croydon and three other London boroughs on a trial basis from April 15.

The Department of Work and Pensions predicts that the cap will affect 900 households in Croydon, 500 of which live in Reed’s Croydon North constituency. Across the borough it is expected that around 300 families will lose over £100 per week.

Reed said: “The cap that the Tory-led Government has introduced is set at the same level in London as it is in Blackpool, Swansea or Sunderland despite living costs in the capital being far higher than elsewhere.

“The Government has decided to experiment on people in Croydon by piloting their plans in our area first. I am very afraid that will result in yet more hardship for many families in Croydon.”

The residents of Croydon will also be hit by the ‘bedroom tax’ next month whereby housing benefit recipients stand to lose £12 per week for every spare room they have.

His comments contrast with the more aggressive opposition to benefit changes voiced by Jules Pipe, the Labour Mayor of Hackney and Chair of London Councils, during a public meeting on Tuesday night in Stoke Newington.

Talking about the changes which will come into effect throughout 2013, Pipe said: “Normally, a Tory Government in this much chaos would be welcomed by me, but not this time.

“We’re not talking about tens of people [in Hackney], or hundreds: we are talking about thousands being affected.”

Croydon will be one of four benefit cap trail boroughs along with Bromley, Haringey and Enfield. For the remainder of the UK, including Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Lewisham, the changes will be rolled out in the summer. The bedroom tax will be implemented nationally in April.

The cap will be applied through council housing benefit payments and will be the combined figure received through allowances such as housing benefit, child benefit, child tax credit, jobseeker’s allowance and income support.

Carer’s allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance will also be included in the cap.

Gavin Barwell, Conservative MP for Croydon Central said: “I strongly support the introduction of a cap on benefits. It was outrageous that under Labour some out-of-work families could receive more than £100,000 a year in benefits.

“Labour used to be the party of the working man. Today they support families on benefits having higher incomes than those of us who work for a living.”

Housing charity Shelter has said that “some families will face exceptional hardship” as a result of the cap.

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “The household benefit cap policy is built on a foundation of myths, but the 210,000 children affected [nationally] will face harsh realities of severe poverty and homelessness.

The revised plans showing the lower height of the proposed Sainsburys development

Eastlondonlines can now reveal the new plans for of the proposed Sainsburys devlopment in Stoke Newington.

The plans to build a new Sainsbury’s in Stoke Newington have been revised for a second time after a long campaign from local activists.

Stoke Newington residents expressed  concerns over the development when it was first announced in June 2011. They  launched a campaign fronted by the Stokey Local blog. At that stage the plans were considerably changed and scaled down, to remove the car park and reduce the floor size of the store, but keep the plan for up to 50 residential units.

However, as reported by Eastlondonlines last year, the development in Wilmer Place was still  likely to tower over Abney Park Cemetery’s Grade II listed gates and cast a permanent shadow over the wild cemetery gardens.  This new application is a response to those concerns.

The plans as they looked before the consultation.

 A spokesperson for Newmark Properties said: “After approximately three years of consultation with the local planning, design and conservation officers, local stakeholders, ward councillors and the public, we’ve made further changes to the scheme to meet some of the concerns about height and the relationship with the cemetery which we have heard.”

Newmark Properties told ELL that the new development would include one less floor than previously planned, with a seven metre-high second floor removed from the side nearest to the cemetery.

This decrease in size will mean that there will be 15 fewer residential units within the building, though this has been reduced proportionally between the affordable housing and market housing.

The Stokey Local campaign said in a statement: “While this application does not seem to have any intention of ‘quietly going away’ we should be pleased that whatever happens, we have already won two sets of concessions from the developer.”

Once the developers release updated plans, there is a 21 day consultation period and the campaign organisers will call another meeting to assess the revisions.

Despite these changes, there is still concern in regard to the actual height of the building. Officers have requested CGI views as well as a model of the structure. They have also suggested scaffolding be built to properly assess the scale of the building.

An enhanced ecology study and a study into the bat population will be carried out around the cemetery.

The application is unlikely to go before committee until April 3. The scheme will be deferred if the consultees are still unconvinced by the height amendments.

Depiction of estate. Pic: Willmott Dixon

The first phase of a £250 million regeneration of a Tower Hamlets estate is set to begin next month and is believed to be the biggest ever investment in this part of London.

Over the next two years, the regeneration of the Aberfeldy estate in Blackwall will deliver 105 new homes for private sale and some retail units with a value of  £30 million.

The project will be set in motion now that Regen, the development division of construction company Willmott Dixon, is working with Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association.

A spokesperson from Willmott Dixon said: “This means the money is in place and confirmed. Everything is agreed, including planning, so there are no more barriers to go through – it’s now time to start on site.”

Steve Stride, chief executive of Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association said: “This is great news for everyone who lives in the area as it means we can start a major programme of investment that will transform this estate and enhance thousands of residents’ lives.”

The scheme, which was granted planning permission last year, is part of the Olympic Legacy regeneration plan for east London. Over 12 years, the project will renovate the 1950s-era estate in order to provide a better living environment for residents. The plans will see 1,176 new homes, shops, healthcare and community facilities as well as the making of open, green spaces for recreation.

Since 2010, planners have been working with residents as well as local groups and agencies on the scheme, which will provide new housing for current residents first.

The long-term project will sustain over 1,000 construction jobs and it is anticipated to provide 300 new jobs in the area once completed.

The new Aberfeldy Village will provide good transport links to new and existing residents. Its close proximity to East India Road DLR connects the estate to Canary Wharf and central London.

Stride said: “It will create a place that will attract people who’ll want to be part of a vibrant community with quick access to many other parts of London.”

The project’s financial security is being assured by completing the project in six phases, with each one being mostly completed before beginning the next.

Brian Brady, managing director of Willmott Dixon’s residential development business said: “We are delighted that our development know-how and experience is able to help Poplar HARCA realise their ambition to create a new future for Aberfeldy Village and its residents – a journey we look forward to completing together.

“After a lot of work in the planning stage,­ we can now start on site and help turn what is an exciting vision into reality.”

More details on the plans can be found here.