Principles for the rights of estate residents whose homes might be redeveloped have been drafted by a committee of Lewisham councillors as the borough seeks to strength the input of its tenants and others in regeneration decisions.
A seven-point draft Residents’ Charter includes proposals that a ballot of residents will take place “before any estate regeneration” proceeds and guarantees that there will be “more homes for social rent” included in any regeneration scheme and that any council tenant wishing to stay on an existing estate will have “a new home at social rent level with the same tenancy conditions that you have today”.
The proposals are set out in a report by council officers called Engaging Residents On Estate Developments compiled for the ten-strong, all-Labour housing select committee, chaired by Councillor Susan Wise and also including London Assembly Member Tom Copley, a housing specialist.
They will be presented to the next meeting of Lewisham Mayor Damien Egan and his cabinet next month with a view to their being “informed and tested through consultation with Lewisham residents”, the report says. It also explains that its contents are “consistent with the council’s policy framework” including the wider goals of nurturing residents’ participation in local community affairs.
The Residents’ Charter would be used “in conjunction with” estate regeneration ballots, which are to be introduced in Lewisham in relation to any redevelopment that would entail the demolition and replacement of existing dwellings. The report says that the council’s commitment to this approach “goes beyond” the estate regeneration guidance produced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.