Archived news
PrintPlanning application validated by Lambeth Council
17 November 2020
Following our last consultation with residents back in September, Riverside are delighted to announce that the planning application submitted for the proposed redevelopment of Lambeth estate has been validated by the Council.
Lambeth Council will now carry out their own consultation on the planning submission. This includes specialist departments, like Highways and utilities and they will also invite the local community to give their views.
Comment on the plans
Residents can comment with their support or concerns by emailing [email protected] or writing to them at: Planning, London Borough of Lambeth, PO Box 734, Winchester, SO23 5DG.
They will need to quote the reference number of the application, which is below, and provide their name and address. The council do not accept anonymous comments and consultation is open now, for a minimum of 21 days.
REFERENCE NUMBER: 20/03257
Comments will go directly to the Council, and will be published on the comments section of the planning application with personal information removed.
There is further information on what comments are considered to be relevant to planning application submissions on the Council’s website.
What is next?
After a statutory period of 13 weeks, the council will present a report to their Planning Committee, who will then agree or reject the planning proposal. If planning permission is granted, we will start detailed design of the homes. There is a full explanation of how planning applications work on the Council’s website.
Consulting with residents
Riverside will continue to carry out consultations with residents, but in light of the current circumstances this will be done online. This is an exciting time as we take a significant step towards building a new estate that will enhance the quality of life for existing tenants and future generations.
Lambeth development takes a big step forward as planning application is submitted
7 September 2020
Riverside, along with partners Bellway, is submitting a planning application for the redevelopment of its 135-home estate in Lambeth. It follows a ballot in December 2018 when residents at Geoffrey, York and Canterbury Close voted in favour of plans to redevelop their estate.
Since the ballot, Riverside has been working closely with tenants and other stakeholders to create a scheme that better meets the needs of those living on the estate. Through a series of tenant engagement opportunities as well as a robust communications campaign, tenants have been involved in shaping what their new estate and homes will look like.
Better homes and facilities
The multi-million pound plan submitted to Lambeth Council involves transforming the estate into a more attractive, safer neighbourhood while giving every Riverside tenant a property that is more modern, spacious, energy efficient and fully accessible. The new scheme includes a gym, community centre, landscaped outdoor spaces with play areas and seating, and bicycle storage facilities.
Plans also include the development of around 306 homes for sale. The revenue from these sales, along with grant funding from the Greater London Authority, will enable Riverside, as a not-for-profit organisation, to replace outdated housing with modern homes, and improve the quality of life for tenants.
Tenants see final plans
Tenants living on the estate got an opportunity to see the final designs being submitted to the council. A booklet showing plans and illustrations has been sent to every home.
The planning process could take several months to complete and Riverside will be keeping tenants up to date on progress. At present, it is hoped that building work will begin in early 2021.
Property guardians move into empty homes on the estate
14 August 2020
Riverside is in the process of bringing empty properties on the estate back into use by moving in property guardians. The guardians will occupy the homes on a temporary basis until redevelopment work starts. The plan has been put in place to safeguard the properties and give tenants living on the estate a greater sense of security.
Riverside has appointed property guardian company, Lowe, to recruit and manage the guardians. Lowe has already carried out some remedial work to many of the vacant homes to make them ready for occupation, and a number of guardians have now moved in.
Guardians are working people (often key workers) priced out of the rental market and looking for affordable housing. To live in a Riverside property, a guardian pays a monthly licence fee which is lower than the average market rent for properties in the area.
Instead of having a tenancy agreement, guardians sign a licence agreement which sets out the rules and regulations they have to follow. The licence is a temporary arrangement, with each party having the right to cancel the agreement by giving four weeks’ notice.
Riverside has also promoted the guardian scheme to adult children of tenants on the estate. As a result, an adult child from one family is now living in their own home on the estate as a property guardian.
Riverside set to hold second round of public consultation events
2 July 2020
Riverside and Bellway, are hosting a second round of online consultation events for the wider Lambeth community. Local residents, businesses and others in the community have been invited to view and comment on the latest designs, which have already been presented to tenants living on the estate at Geoffrey, York and Canterbury Close.
Tenants have also been invited to take part in the public events, which will include presentations from the project team and live question and answer sessions. These will be the final public consultation events before a planning application is submitted.
Those taking part will be able to submit questions before or during an event for the team to answer live on air. All questions and comments will be anonymous and feedback will be used to help shape the final submission to Lambeth Council.
After almost two years of consultation with tenants, the council and the wider community, Riverside is now finalising its plans for the estate. Later this month, tenants will be presented with the final scheme ahead of the planning submission.
Video presentation explains latest plans for Lambeth Estate
21 May 2020
Tenants living in Geoffrey, York and Canterbury Close got the opportunity to see the latest designs for their new estate this week. Plans and illustrations of the proposed layout and street scenes have been captured in a booklet sent to every home.
Over the last few weeks Riverside has been developing the finer details of the plan with Bellway and architects, PRP, ready to submit a planning application in July.
The plans presented to tenants have been brought to life in a short video (below), which explains the scheme in more detail. Click on the image below to view the film.
Tenants have been invited to give their feedback by Friday 12 June by either:
- emailing: [email protected]
- phoning the Resident Liaison Officer, Mandy Rana, on 07929 368603
- contacting Source Partnership on 0800 616 328.
The project team will also be phoning tenants over the next two weeks, to talk them through the plans, get feedback and answer any questions.
Next steps
Once the team has collected feedback from tenants and the planning team at Lambeth Council, any final adjustments will be made to the plan. The final scheme will then be presented to tenants later in the month. The wider community will also get an opportunity to see the final plan through an online public consultation event to be held in June, before planning is submitted in July.
Tenants consulted on Riverside’s approach to allocating homes and the moving timetable
21 May 2020
As Riverside steps closer to submitting a planning application for the redevelopment of the Lambeth estate, the team have been busy consulting tenants on how it plans to allocate and move tenants into their new homes.
A detailed consultation pack has been sent to every household and we have followed this up with phone calls to get feedback from tenants and answer any questions.
The pack includes a draft allocations procedure and a plan for the build programme, showing who will move where and the timescales for doing this. The allocations procedure, which has been created with the help of the Residents’ Steering Group, sets out a fair and transparent process for offering tenants a new home that meets their housing needs.
Once feedback on this latest consultation has been collected, we will share the outcome with tenants.
Next steps
We are now working on some alterations to the masterplan, which follows input from tenants and the planning team at Lambeth Council.
We will present this latest plan to tenants through a postal consultation due to go out at the end of May. There will also be a video for tenants and other stakeholders to watch through this website, which will give a visual overview of the plan. Once again, we will be seeking feedback from tenants before making any final adjustments and presenting them with a final masterplan before submitting the planning application.
We are also planning a second online public consultation event for mid June, where the wider community will have the opportunity to comment on the final scheme. Our aim is to submit a planning application in July.
In our communications to tenants, we have encouraged them to engage with us but have also made it clear that we understand if they don’t want to get involved at the moment. We appreciate that this is a difficult time and we will do whatever we can to offer additional support to our tenants. The Resident Liaison Officer, Mandy Rana can be contacted on 07929 368603 and tenants can also speak to Source Partnership on 0800 616 328 for independent advice and support.
Tenants were able to visualise their new estate at our latest engagement event
12 March 2020
Plans to create a new Lambeth estate took another step forward when we held our latest tenant engagement event on 27 February. Around 37 households came to the Harry Caddick Centre to see and comment on the latest designs following feedback from tenants and council planners.
Those who attended enjoyed a hot buffet while viewing a mix of unit layouts and illustrations of the estate and talking to members of the project team. In particular, tenants were able to see:
- The layout of homes
- Street views and communal areas, showing how the estate will look and feel
- Location and size of green spaces and play areas
These schemes can be seen in the latest presentation boards together with information and feedback from council planners about parking on the new estate.
We appreciate that not all tenants are able to attend the events so we offer home visits, with weekend and evening appointments available. Home visits can be arranged by contacting your Resident Liaison Officer.
We can also provide information in a range of different languages. Family, friends and neighbours of tenants who don’t speak English can arrange translations by contacting the Residents Liaison Officer.
Everything that tenants saw and commented on at the event will be available for the wider public to view online on Thursday 2 April. This will give us an opportunity to gather feedback from people who live and work around the Lambeth estate. A further tenant engagement event was due to be held at the end of March but due the current health situation, we have taken the decision to delay this but we will continue to consult with tenants by post, phone, social media and online. We will hold further events as soon as we can (subject to government guidance).
Consultation with tenants steps up
12 February 2020
As plans for the new estate progress, Riverside has been keeping tenants up to date on the latest developments.
Feedback from planners at Lambeth Council, particularly on the height of some of the blocks, has led to some minor adjustments to the design of the estate. Many tenants got an opportunity to see these latest plans when they attended a consultation event on 23 January.
Staff from Riverside, Source Partnership, Bellway and PRP architects were on hand to talk through the detail and answer questions. Those who attended were asked for their views, and this information is being used to help inform the planning application.
In an effort to reach as many people as possible, the Riverside team has also been visiting homes across the estate to show tenants the latest designs and get their feedback.
The next consultation event is due to be held on Thursday 27 February at the Harry Caddick Centre, Lilford Road, 5pm-7.30pm.
Tenants can arrange a home visit at a time to suit them by contacting the Riverside team at: [email protected]
Riverside in talks with council planners to reach final proposal
24 January 2020
Riverside has been meeting with planners at Lambeth Council to finalise designs for the estate. Planners have suggested some revisions to the scheme and this feedback is being presented to residents at a consultation meeting in January 2020.
This work will lead to a comprehensive and final proposal for the redevelopment of the Lambeth estate, with a planning application earmarked for the summer.
Over the last six months, we have been working in the background with partners, including the GLA, to ensure that financial arrangements are in place to make the project possible. The intricate and detailed partnership agreement between us and the developer, Bellway, has also been completed. This is a vital element of the process, which will ensure the smooth running of the development programme. It has taken several months to complete due to the complexities of the project.
This has meant that consultation had slowed down since last summer. However, now that this work is complete, we are engaging with residents much more frequently. Four events are planned between now and May, including two public consultation events, so that building work can begin, as planned, next year.
At the last consultation event held in October, tenants were invited to select some of the kitchen and bathroom fittings for their new homes. Those who attended chose the best four options from a range of tiles, worktops, doors and flooring. As building work begins, tenants will be able to select from these options to create a look and feel for their home.
Timeline
We are working towards a start on site no later than spring 2021. But this will depend on the length of time it takes for the council to approve our planning application. Typically, it takes a minimum of 13 weeks for the council to give planning consent on a project of this size. We will continue to work closely with the council’s planners to ensure their requirements are met quickly, and we will keep tenants informed on our progress.
Plans to create a new estate in Lambeth are moving forward
26 June 2019
Since the ballot result in December 2018, plans are progressing to create a new neighbourhood in Lambeth. While consultation with tenants has taken a slower pace recently, Riverside has been busy working with PRP Architects and Bellway to make sure the new estate is a place where everyone can feel proud to live.
Millions of pounds will be invested into the area to create larger homes, attractive and safe open spaces and homes that are warmer and cheaper to heat.
Initial plans were brought to life recently at a design event where models of the proposed new homes and estate layout were on display. Many tenants attended the events in March and April to view the models and have their say about the designs. PRP Architects are working with this feedback, and more design workshops are being planned in the coming months to look at life-sized space layouts of new homes, site visits and tenant choices. Check back here for dates or visit our Facebook page.
We will continue to hold regular meetings with the Residents’ Steering Group and more Riverside tenants are encouraged to join the group. We want as many residents as possible to get involved in meetings and consultation events to help us design the new estate before a planning application is due to be submitted to Lambeth Council later in the year.
If you have any questions about what the plans will mean for you, please email [email protected]. Or, for confidential and impartial advice, contact the Independent Tenants Advisors, Source Partnership.
Residents say yes to rebuilding Lambeth estate
13 December 2018
A majority of residents have said ‘yes’ to proposals to build a new Lambeth estate. In the recent ballot, 67% of voters said they supported Riverside’s proposals to redevelop Geoffrey Close, York Close and Canterbury Close. The ballot attracted a big turnout with 87% of eligible voters casting their vote.
All residents have received notification of this result in writing from Riverside and detailed results directly from the Electoral Reform Service (ERS).
We are very pleased that tenants supported our plan. In the coming months we will continue to work with our Lambeth tenants to further develop the plans for the new estate.
But before any building work begins, we must submit a planning application to Lambeth Council who will have the final say on whether the estate can be rebuilt.
The ballot was run independently by the ERS and closed on 3 December 2018