Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place Making and Development]

The report seeks approval of the final versions of the High Road West Local Lettings Policy, the Love Lane Leaseholder Offer and approval of the commitments to residents to be included within the ‘Landlord Offer’, which will form the basis of the resident ballot on the Love Lane Estate.  The report also seeks approval to proceed to a resident ballot on the Love Lane Estate, in line with the requirements set out in Section 8 of the Greater London Authorities’ Capital Funding Guide.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place - Making and Development introduced the report which sought approval of the final versions of the High Road West Local Lettings Policy, the Love Lane Leaseholder Offer and approval of the commitments to residents to be included within the ‘Landlord Offer’, which would form the basis of the resident ballot on the Love Lane Estate.

The report also sought approval to proceed to a resident ballot on the Love Lane Estate, in line with the requirements set out in Section 8 of the Greater London Authorities’ Capital Funding Guide. It was noted that the resident ballot was an important milestone and would give residents the opportunity to decide if the scheme proceeds. If the vote was ‘yes’, the Council would be able to draw down the c.£90m of funding secured from the GLA for the High Road West scheme.

The Cabinet Member highlighted that the primary focus of the Council was to keep the community, at Love Lane, together and would include both secure tenants and those living in temporary accommodation on the estate.

The Cabinet Member committed to continue communication with estate residents to ensure that all residents understood the Landlord offer. This would include providing different language translations of the Landlord offer.

It was noted that where residents may be moved from the estate in the different phases of the development , they would not lose their offer on a home, and either be rehoused on the estate or nearby.

In response to questions from Councillors: Bevan, Brabazon, Davies and Palmer, the following information was provided by the Cabinet Member, the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning and the Assistant Director for Regeneration.

• Welcomed support from Homes for Haringey for communication activities with residents on the Landlord offer.

• The Cabinet Member had met with individually with residents and the Resident’s Association at Love Lane. Feedback had been given to them on what elements of the offer they were not clear on. Some queries were responded to immediately at this meeting and other issues were to be followed up and responded to.

• The Cabinet Member would ensure communications with residents was in plain English with FAQs provided. She committed to oversee this process and to keep contact with the residents of the estate.

• Noted that there would be a small number of residents that would need to move off the estate, temporarily, during the first phase. It was noted that thereafter there would be more homes completed to allow tenants to move in. The aim of the phasing process was to minimise the numbers of potential moves. The Director would ask his team to provide more detail on the statistics of those likely to need a temporary move. However, it would be based on the particular housing needs of the families that needed to be moved at the time the development is brought forward.

• A proposal, in the attached report, was capping the rent increase to 10% and this figure had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 560