Victory for Residents of West Ken and Gibbs Green Estates
'Nightmare will soon be over' after deal is struck to hand homes back to council
The residents of West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates are celebrating a major victory, after being told that a deal has been struck to hand their homes back to H&F Council.
Council leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan tweeted the news @StephenCowan, saying: "Battle for West Kensington & Gibbs Green estates concludes with residents homes saved. Grateful to Delancey's Jamie Ritblat who demonstrated huge integrity. Very grateful to the fantastic residents associations."
Sally Taylor, chair of the West Kensington Tenants and Residents Association responded to the long awaited news saying: “It’s been 12 years of worry and while we would never have given up, it’s hard to actually take in that this nightmare will soon be over.”
The two estates, off North End Road, which together contain 760 homes housing around 2,000 people, have been under threat of demolition for the last 12 years after the council, then controlled by the Tories, sold them to property developer Capital & Counties, or Capco in 2012 for £105 million.
They were then scheduled for demolition as part of a masterplan, originally drawn up in 2007, for the huge Earls Court development.
Since then, just one phase of the development, in Seagrave Road, has gone ahead and while the famous Earls Court Exhibition Centre has already been demolished, its site and much of the surrounding land has remained an empty wasteland.
Now Capco has announced it has sold the project to another property company, Delancey, headed by property tycoon Jamie Ritblat.
H&F Council, which has been run by Labour since 2014 has reached an agreement with Delancey under which the estates will be restored to the council in exchange for the original £105 million fee once the Earls Court sale is complete.
Cllr Cowan said: "For over a decade the residents of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates have suffered huge anxieties because the threat of demolition hung over their homes.
“On Friday we exchanged contracts with Delancey which is the first step to bringing about the safe return of all the land sold to Capco — which includes the two estates.
" In ten working days’ time, when all parties complete, this saga will be brought to an end and our residents homes will be safe."
After hearing the news, campaigners on the estates responded on Twitter @WestKenGibbsGr with just two words: " DEMOLITION DEFEATED!"
November 19, 2019