First phase of major estate regeneration in Southwark approved

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A crumbling South London estate where residents have complained about awful leaks and mice infestations will be rebuilt to create 690 new homes.

Southwark council approved plans to bulldoze a huge section of the 53-year-old Tustin estate at a planning meeting on Tuesday.

The first stage of the rebuild plans will see blocks at Hillbeck Close and Ullswater House demolished, as well as garages in Manor Grove.

In their place, 167 homes will be constructed in four apartment blocks – the tallest will be 13 storeys high. The remaining homes on Manor Grove will be refurbished.

Later stages of the estate’s redevelopment, which has been agreed in principle, will see Bowness Houses, Kentmere House and Heversham House bulldozed, as well as Pilgrims Way Primary School.

They will be replaced with 523 homes across 12 buildings – the tallest at 12 storeys high. Space for shops will also be created and the school will be replaced

The plans will create 488 extra homes on the estate, including an additional 241 affordable homes – 143 of which will be available at social rents.

The council aims to work with a hospital to give the other 98 affordable properties to key workers.

A total of 220 new market price homes will also be built as part of the proposals and 27 shared equity homes, where part of the house is paid for through a loan on the deposit.

People living on the estate already voiced their support for the rebuild in a ballot. All car parking spaces on the estate will be kept according to residents’ demands.

Andrew Eke, chairman of residents’ group, the Tustin Community Association, said: “The general sentiment on Tustin is just supportive of the proposal. We are very grateful to the various Southwark council offices from regeneration, planning, the housing and modernisation department and the external partners.”

Southwark said it would work to reduce the amount of parking on the site overtime. The estate’s rebuild is expected to take eight years.

Speaking in support of the plans on July 19, Councillor Richard Livingstone said: “There’s been plenty of stops and starts in the process of getting to a plan to give the residents on the estate they deserve. That long journey has brought us to a place where I think we have a process for estate regeneration which I think has become the ideal for how these schemes ought to go ahead.

“ I think there has certainly been a lot of lessons from regeneration in the past about how to get this right. Not only are people being moved into far better homes than where they live at the moment, but they are only going to have to make one move and stay on the estate and keep the community together. Some of those things we’ve had with past regeneration schemes where people have got better homes, but have perhaps being scattered far and wide or never wanted to return to the estate, we’re going to avoid that here.”

Pictured top: CGI of planned new flats on the site of the Tustin Estate Picture: Southwark council planning documents