email to council

Thank you for your letter regarding the development. As you may already be
aware, the majority of residents of the <redacted> estate are opposed to the
plans. Many elderly and vulnerable people live here, and there have been many
concerns expressed regarding noise, construction traffic, and later increased load
on the facilities, such as car parking and sewerage, from there being more
residents.
One very notable concern raised by some residents of <redacted> has been of
there being a high likelihood that people living on the current top floor would
have to leave while the works are under way. Even if the work could be safely
carried out with residents still in place, it would be highly disruptive to people's
lives, especially those with young children, and of course the elderly. Many of us
feel that the level of communication between planners and affected residents (all
residents of <redacted>) has been lacking, since there has not been any
opportunity for questions and answers, nobody has been available to address
concerns. This lack of effective communication and two way dialogue is, in my
opinion, unacceptable, particularly since this development is looking set to very
severely affect people's day-to-day lives for an extended period of time.
As a further note, I would like to raise the question of priorities. While there is a
housing shortage in LBH, and in London in general, and it is therefore
commendable to be looking to build more housing units, the units currently on
the <redacted> estate are in need of maintenance. Building more units on top
is not going to address the issues around maintenance of the pre-existing ones.
We have 20 year old draughty windows, struggling drains, and antique intercom
systems. A move to replace all the flats' front doors dating back the best part of
a year has been seemingly forgotten about. The main doors to the blocks have
also been raised as in need of replacement. All in all, the entire estate could do
with a bit more love and a refurbish, which I feel should be prioritised above
building new units.
I understand that meeting an ever growing demand for new council housing in
London is a very serious issue, and it is one that I am very much involved in in
the voluntary work that I do. However, from the point of view of the estate as a
whole, I cannot support building more flats here on top of the ones we have,
especially not without gathering residents together for a full face-to-face
consultation in which concerns can be raised, responded to, and most
importantly, taken on board and factored in to any future changes to the plan.
From my own point of view, I would like to see <redacted>, as it currently is,
refurbished and rejuvenated before any new plans can be seriously considered.
Where I feel most strongly, however, is around the ethical treatment of residents.
People need to know exactly how they will be affected, and be listened to very
intently when they respond with concerns. I know this has not yet been the case
with this development, and I am gravely concerned by that.
Yours sincerely
<name>
(<redacted> resident and vice-chair of <redacted> tenants' association)