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West Kentish Town Estate

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Latest news

 

WKTE garages demolition update

The garages at Athlone Street and Coity Road have been demolished. The Wedmore garages have been completed as far as it safe to do so, due to the obstruction of a wall and a tree.

All three garages sites will be secured with hoarding until we get planning approval, as these locations will be needed for the construction of new homes. We are exploring uses at the Coity Road site.

Whilst we look at the options available and delivery partners, we have decided to temporarily secure this site to stop any littering or anti social behaviour. We hope to transform this site into a community space where residents can come together to play and socialise. In the coming months, we want to collaborate closely with local residents to design this area and encourage suggestions in shaping the future of this space.

 

Latest workshop boards January 2024 

Last Summer the Development Team presented proposals for the new homes at West Kentish Town Estate.  Whilst we received many positive comments, residents had concerns about some parts of the plans.
The Development Team have been working hard with Masterplanners and Phase 1 architects since the Summer to find a way to deliver a scheme in response to the feedback received. 
We are excited to be in a position to present these changes to all residents.

WKTE January 2024 Workshop Boards

Update on play spaces consultation

As you may know, we are rebuilding your estate to give all residents brand new modern homes. This redevelopment will also include improvements to the neighbourhood, new play spaces and better landscaping, which you have told us are so important for residents’ wellbeing.

Over the past few months, we have been consulting with young residents about play areas for meanwhile uses on the estate and the communities preferred locations for these. We have engaged with many young residents via surveys, door knocking and at our Fun Day event, where we received some valuable feedback.

Residents told us as that there is currently a lack of outdoor amenities, that they use us the current ball court ‘infrequently’, preferring to play football, basketball or socialise with friends at other local play facilities and community centres because the facilities offered were better. Therefore they would like to see a variety of play equipment, such as table tennis and under 5 play areas provided on the estate.  Thank you to all the young residents that have taken the time to give us your feedback.

Our young residents will grow up alongside this major transformation, a resident aged 10 now will be 30 when the redevelopment is completed. This is why it’s important to have your input in the design of your new estate that you will inherit. We want to better understand your hopes and aspirations, priorities, and concerns and how the WKTE team / Camden can assist.

If you are a young resident who has ideas or projects that we can help with, not directly linked to the redevelopment project, or you are interested in joining a Young People's Redevelopment Panel where you can meet other young people and be involved in things like organising trips, please do write to us using the details on this site or visit our drop in space at 104a Queen’s Crescent. 

Full Letter: Play Space Areas

Full Letter: Play Spaces For Young People

 

Pop in Wednesdays 1pm to 4pm at 104a Queens Crescent 

  • businesses
  • cafes
  • market Traders 
  • shops 
  • takeaways 

Council officers will be available to discuss how the proposals may affect you and your business

Market stall every Thursday from 11am to 2pm

Our team are based in front of the library at Queen’s Crescent Market and are able to provide more information about the project.

Come along and speak with the team

Registration and awarding regeneration points

Residents affected by the 1st phase of redevelopment are being asked to register online, these are the tenants from Ashington, Beckington , Wedmore and Milverton. Residents in these blocks will be entitled to 600 regeneration points. 

You can register online. Please have your payment / rent reference number available, and details of all those living in your home.

When asked for the reason you need to move, tick ‘Yes’ - as your situation falls under “Other reason included in the Housing Allocation Scheme”.  Should you receive a message that you do not qualify for the housing register, please ignore this. Once you are on the housing register you may receive a letter advising of your status. 

Please disregard any communication advising that you are not eligible. This is an automatically generated letter that does not recognise your status as a tenant on a Redevelopment scheme.
  
Once you submit your application, you will be awarded 600 Regeneration points and plus the additional points that you already have. you will be able to use the points to move elsewhere in London Borough of Camden. The Haverstock Development Team are prepared and very happy to assist in any questions you may have regarding your application. You can drop in to 104a Queens Crescent between 10am - 5pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, where we have free Wi-Fi, public laptops, and Council officers available to support in your online application, or answer any queries about your particular situation, and upcoming timescales of what to expect for residents of each block.  

If you need any help please contact 

Yasmin: 07879 636 783
Jamal: 07958 476 110   

Steering Group

The Project Team have written to all West Kentish Town Estate residents asking for expressions of interest to join the Steering Group, which is being refreshed to ensure the group reflects the diversity of residents on the Estate for the current stage of the project as we prepare and submit a Planning Application.  
 
The Steering Group was formed in 2017 as one of the many ways that the council is working together with residents to deliver new homes and an improved neighbourhood.  Please get in touch if you are a resident and would like to find out more, or get involved.

Demolition Notices

On 20 September 2022 the Council served Initial Demolition Notices (under Schedule 5A of the Housing Act 1985) on four blocks at West Kentish Town Estate: Wedmore, Ashington, Beckington and Milverton.  This is a legal process which allows the Council to demolish these blocks within 7 years and stops tenants from exercising their 'right to buy' (purchasing these homes). 

A Final Demolition Notice will be served in due course, and further Demolition Notices will be served on the remaining buildings when relevant.   

View Initial Demolition Notice (pdf)

Information for Leaseholders and Non-resident leaseholders

Sheila Miranda is West Kentish Town estate’s Strategic Rehousing Lead.

Jiy Muru is West Kentish Towns estate's Rehousing Officer.

Sheila and Jiy are working with leaseholders in Wedmore, Ashington, Beckington and Milverton blocks. They are also working with the team providing rehousing advice and support to tenants in blocks where an initial demolition notice has been issued. 

Contact Details:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 7974 1608

Email:[email protected]

 

Booklets have been published ahead of the 2019 Cabinet setting out for resident leaseholders and non-resident leaseholders: 

Phasing plan

The redevelopment of West Kentish Town Estate will be carried out in phases.  New homes will be built for existing residents to move into, before the old blocks are demolished.  

Working with residents to understand preferences and requirements ensures that the Council builds homes, and creates places, where residents enjoy and are proud to live in.

WKTE Phasing plan 2024

 

Story so far

Cabinet Report July 2022

On 20 July 2022 Camden council took a report to Cabinet recommending approval of the business case to implement the regeneration strategy of the West Kentish Town estate. Approval was granted by Camden’s Cabinet for the full redevelopment of the estate and construction of 885 new homes carried out across 8 phases. This report included finances, demolition phasing timeline. Conditions of resident’s homes and the estate.

5 residents from the estate, 2 of whom were young people, presented deputations (short speeches) in front of the committee of Cabinet members where they spoke in favour of the regeneration of the estate. These deputies described their experiences living on the estate, the poor conditions they live in including no lifts, no balconies, damp and leaks, a poorly designed estate which enables anti-social behaviour in areas not properly overlooked, and generally deteriorating blocks. They went on to explain how the redevelopment will help them and their families, and change their lives by building new, high-quality homes and in a well-designed neighbourhood.

Not only were their speeches powerful and impactful, but the residents also articulately answered questions that were asked of them. We should all be proud of the residents that came out and spoke, particularly the two young people who did a fantastic job presenting their stories and answering the councillors’ questions.

After hearing all deputations and asking their questions, the committee had to vote whether to approve the full redevelopment of West Kentish Town estate, and we are happy to say that all Cabinet members said yes to the regeneration.

We look forward to continuing working closely with you as the designs of the estate and the new homes develop.

Full Cabinet Report

Cabinet Report summary

Architects appointed

In Spring 2021, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) were appointed as the masterplanners and multidisciplinary team, and Mae as the architects for the next phase of the West Kentish Town Redevelopment. The new teams are working on a business case to go to Council's Cabinet.

Throughout Summer and Autumn 2021 we held a series of Covid-secure drop-ins and online sessions to update residents, leaseholders and neighbours on the work that is currently taking place, to get feedback and to shape the new estate that residents want to live in and the wider community can be proud of.

Ballot Workshops

Residents have been involved in ballot workshops since October 2019, where they have been learning about the development process and been involved in creating a Resident Brief and Vision Statement.

In January 2020, Councillor Beales - the Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities and an Inclusive Economy, wrote to all eligible voters on the Estate announcing the dates and how residents can vote.

Residents were asked to vote on the Landlord Offer, which was delivered in February 2020, along with the documents you can view below.

Ballot on redevelopment of West Kentish Town Estate

The resident ballot on Redevelopment closed on 17 March 2020.

93 per cent of eligible voting residents voted Yes in the ballot, 7 per cent voted No to the proposals. There was an amazing 84.9 per cent turnout.

Read the letter Councillor Beales sent to the residents here.  

Camden Council was required to hold a ballot on West Kentish Town Estate by the Greater London Authority.  The ballot asked whether or not residents are in favour of the full redevelopment of their Estate and the construction of new homes.   Residents were asked to vote “Yes” or “No” on the following question:

“Are you in favour of the proposal for the redevelopment of West Kentish Town Estate?”.

You can read more about the development proposals in the documents above.

Consulting residents

As part of this process, a Section 105 Consultation, a requirement of the Housing Act 1987 started from 3 May 2019 and completed on 31 May 2019.  All residents and non-residential leaseholders were sent information explaining the preferred option, recommended by officers to Camden’s Cabinet and asking for feedback. The pack included:

In July 2019 the Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities and an Inclusive Economy (Councillor Danny Beales) and Council officers recommended to Camden Council’s Cabinet that the preferred option to be taken to a resident ballot be complete redevelopment.

Cabinet met on 17 July 2019 and agreed to the recommendations.  It is now the Council's confirmed position that complete redevelopment is the preferred option for the future of West Kentish Town Estate.  See the minutes and a webcast of the meeting here.

Background

West Kentish Town Estate was built in 1964 and consists of 316 homes in 3 and 4 storey blocks. 

The Council have been in conversation with residents about the failing buildings, lack of insulation (impacting on bills and miserableness, security, usable outside space or play provision.  The technical feasibility work that the Council has carried out also indicates complete redevelopment represents the best option with regard to sustainability, buildability and performance against the Residents’ Brief (the set of requests developed by the residents).
 

Contact us

Visit our Community Liaison Advisors, Yasmin and Jamal at the West Kentish Town Estate drop-in space.

Address

104a Queens Crescent
NW5 4DU

Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 5.30pm, Fridays 10am to 2pm.  

Phone

Yasmin and Jamal will be happy to help with any enquiry and can arrange to meet residents in their home if this is more convenient. 

Yasmin: 07879 636 783
Jamal: 07958 476 110   

Email

[email protected]