Bloemfontein Road: Pictures
Proposed new development sparks storm of controversy
Pictures of the proposed new development on the site of the former Janet Adegoke Centre in Bloemfontein Road have just been released.
The images give an idea of what the £30 million mixed-use scheme might look like when finished.
The scheme, designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, will include a new health centre, 179 new housing units, shops, offices and a café.
However, the development has sparked a storm of controversy over how the housing units will be divided up and, although the project was approved by LBHF's planning committee last month, and given the green light by London Mayor Boris Johnson, it could still be blocked by the Government.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Caroline Flint, is currently considering whether to "call in" the planning application so that she can make a final decision on it.
In the original plans for the development, there were to be 14 units for social rent and 86 for private sale but this was later changed to zero units for social rent and 109 for private sale. On top of this, 23 units will be shared ownership and 47 will be "low cost market discount".
In a London Assembly report on the scheme, GLA Officers say: “The zero provision social rent remains disproportionate.”
The housing mix has been strongly criticised by Shepherd’s Bush MP Andy Slaughter, who says: “Hammersmith & Fulham has very high housing need, with over 8,000 on the waiting list and thousands of families overcrowded or in temporary accommodation. 50% of households in the borough have an income below £20,000 and social rented housing is the only opportunity they have to find decent homes.”
Defending the scheme, the leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh said: “This area already has high levels of social housing. Fifty one per cent of local homes are for social-rent. It is sandwhiched between two large estates: White City and Wormholt estates which have more than 1,800 homes for social rent between them. White City is amongst the most deprived neighbourhoods not just in the borough but in the country.”
According to the GLA report, Hammersmith & Fulham has a lower borough-wide percentage of social rented housing (32%) than the inner London average (34%).
“This scheme will provide White City residents with a badly-needed foot on the home ownership ladder and produce a more mixed and balanced community,” added Cllr Greenhalgh. “The demand is for low cost home ownership that matches the aspiration of hard working young families to get on to the property ladder.”
But the GLA report casts doubt on this claim: “There is only a small proportion of family accommodation within the proposed mix, and no provision of larger 4-bed units, which therefore provides limited evidence to support the Council’s aspirations to encourage families out of social rented tenure.”
According to the Council, 44 per cent of people own their own home in the borough, compared to 68.7 per cent nationally and LBHF says it wants to increase that figure to 50 per cent by 2014.
The Secretary of State is expected to decide whether or not to "call in" the Bloemfontein Road development application by mid-September.
Yasmine Estaphanos
2nd September 2008