0645 Hrs GMT 0745 Hrs UK London Wednesday 6 August 2008: KHOODEELAAR! No to “Big Business CROSSRAIL hole agenda of ADDING new poverty in the East End of London…” CAMPAIGN focusses attention on the evidence of deliberate negligence and lack of acre as shown by the controlling clique on Tower Hamlets Council to the people who have lived on the Robinhood Gardens estate…. the evidence yet again confirms the brazen behaviour by the so-called locally elected Council as in effect agents of OUTSIDE interests. The so-called concern by the council clue about the alleged unattractiveness of the Robinhood Gardens is not true… They have let the estate be in its place for years without any evidence of concern or care until Big business came in and put forward the speculative suggestion.. The controlling clique has behaved over Robinhood gardens in the same way as it has behaved in inviting the Crossrail hole attacks on the East end of London.. The Tower Hamlets Council is a tout Council, touting for Big business to demolish the entire community in what is the Borough of Tower Hamlets and make way for big business and their agencies. [To be continued]
Quoting from the external web site operated by the pubishers of The Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, London E14:
“What next for Robin Hood Gardens residents?
ROBIN Hood Gardens will soon be removed from the Poplar skyline,following the Government’s decision not to list the estate last week.
The 214-unit landmark will make way for English Partnerships’ Blackwall Reach scheme, which will feature up to 3,000 new homes.
In a special extended report forwharf.co.uk, we look at what the future holds for residents of the 1970s brutalist building, and what plans are on the table to find new homes for the people at the centre of the debate.
THE FATE of Robin Hood Gardens may be sealed – but what will happen to its residents?
Culture minister Margaret Hodge’s decision not to list the brutalist housing estate means it will make way for English Partnerships’ Blackwall Reach project of up to 3,000 homes.
Some residents have been told developers hope to demolish the building by September 2009. But occupants of the Poplar blocks are cautious.
The new development will be run by a registered social landlord, meaning tenants will have to transfer from the council to remain in the regeneration area. But tenants in more than 150 of the 214 units have reportedly asked to stay with the council.
Firuz Mirh has been living on the estate for 10 years, and is worried about possible price increases.
He said: “It was a nice place to live, but it’s not any more.
“The Blackwall Tunnel is getting busier and there’s a lot more pollution. And the building is getting old and there are a lot of cracks appearing.
“People moved into these houses with one or two children, and they’re still there with three, four or five because they can’t afford anything bigger.
“A lot of people are asking why the council can’t run the new development. They’re worried they won’t be able to afford to live if the prices go up, especially when you include the gas and electric bills. People are just struggling to survive.”
Ali Miah, 15, has lived in Robin Hood Gardens all his life, but hopes to move away.
He said: “It’s not that great. It’s all breaking up, and there are rats living here now as well.”
Architects such as Lord Richard Rogers added their names to a petition of nearly 2,000 signatures organised by Building Design. The architectural digest was keen to see Peter and Alison Smithson’s creation listed and refurbished.
News editor Will Hurst said: “Margaret Hodge is meant to be a minister for architecture, but for one reason or another she’s chosen not to listen to architects.
“We don’t think residents have been given a fair choice. The estate has been left to rot so it’s no big surprise that they’re not too keen on it. It’s been used as a sink estate and the council has left it to deteriorate.
“I don’t think the residents know what can be done with it, and English Partnerships and the council has not encouraged them to think about it.”
The council has already backed the regeneration potential for Blackwall Reach, claiming it will provide 800 affordable homes and allow all current Robin Hood Gardens residents to be accommodated on site. Former council senior development officer Emma Peters estimated a renovation of the building would cost around £20million.
But Riverside South architect Lord Rogers said: “The local authority, Tower Hamlets Council, has not done a full costing of refurbishing the estate, yet it’s clearly going to be more expensive to demolish and rebuild on the site than to refurbish the existing building.
“The highly successful developer, Urban Splash, has shown interest in taking over Robin Hood Gardens. The council, however, does not believe it should be preserved.”
Resident Masum Ali was also keen to keep the estate, and is “depressed” about plans for its demolition.
He said: “I’ve lived here since 2001 and I’ve never had a complaint about the place. But I’ve never seen the council do any repairs or painting.
“People want to stay here and they want to remain with the council. We’re tenants of the council, not English Partnerships or a registered social landlord. The places we’ve been shown in Bow are very small and you can almost touch the roof.
“I’ve spent money on this house and I want to stay here. It’s very quiet and we’ve got a nice community. It feels like we’re being ignored.”
The council transferred all of its housing to an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO) this week, where it will be run by an independent company funded by the government. The land will still be council-owned.
Tower Hamlets claims all tenants will have a choice on whether to remain with the ALMO in another area, or transfer to a social landlord. From September, Robin Hood Gardens residents will gain “decant status”, bumping them to the top of the council housing priority list. It claims it will also help with moving costs, and offer £4,400 each to compensate for disruption.
The council has said it can accommodate all residents who wish to remain ALMO tenants. It expects to continue consultation until November, and for an outline application for Blackwall Reach to be submitted in spring next year.
Blackwall and Cubitt Town’s Conservative councillor Tim Archer attempted to submit questions to council last month on behalf of council leaseholders dissatisfied with their service.
He said: “The jury’s still out on registered social landlords but my suspicion is the charges are going up more often than they’re going down. A lot has been promised, but not a lot has been delivered so far.
“It is the right decision to demolish Robin Hood Gardens because it clears the way to redevelop the site. Now there are more decisions to be made and we can’t underestimate the scale of the challenge before the council now.
“It means a lot of uncertainty and upheaval for a lot of people and the council has to make sure that what it does is fair.”
Khoodeelaar! the East London 'No to Crossrail hole Bill' Campaign 