Southwark Council wins battle to buy homes on Aylesbury Estate

Soon after the start of the hearings, all but two of the leaseholders withdrew their objections to the CPO after confidential deals with the council. Last week, Mr Brokenshire ruled against the remaining two.

The decision letter from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government stated that government inspector Martin Whitehead “considers the social dis-benefits of the confirmation of the Order would be limited to just one household (owned by the two remaining objectors) and would have a very limited impact on the social wellbeing of the area.

“The Order would enable the construction of a new development of housing and community facilities. In combination with those already provided under previous phases of the regeneration, it would represent a good contribution to the social wellbeing of the area.”

According to the letter, Mr Whitehead agreed with the objectors that the CPO would have a disproportionate effect on older people and those with black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

He also agreed that the CPO interfered with the leaseholders’ human rights, but said that the benefits of the CPO outweighed these considerations and that the alternative – refurbishment – was not viable.

In a statement on Twitter, Aylesbury Leaseholders Action Group (ALAG) said: “As the demolition of buildings on the first development site has been under way since mid-2015, we are not too surprised that at this stage, refurbishing a mountain of rubble cannot be considered a viable option.”

A CPO is a failure for everyone, and it should never be celebrated!
We, members of ALAG (Aylesbury Leaseholders Action Group) are disappointed at the negative outcome of the first development site CPO. The ruling affects one remaining ALAG resident leaseholder directly,

— ALAG@Save Aylesbury (@ALAGSaveAlyesb1)

A CPO is a failure for everyone, and it should never be celebrated!
We, members of ALAG (Aylesbury Leaseholders Action Group) are disappointed at the negative outcome of the first development site CPO. The ruling affects one remaining ALAG resident leaseholder directly,

— ALAG@Save Aylesbury (@ALAGSaveAlyesb1) November 19, 2018

Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth, development and planning at Southwark Council, said: “We welcome the secretary of state’s decision to confirm the CPO and remain committed to delivering the quality homes and outstanding community facilities our residents deserve.

“This is a big step forward for Aylesbury regeneration plans, but we also recognise this may be difficult for those involved. We remain committed to see the next phase of the regeneration move forward on this site.”

Dan Knowles, a chartered surveyor for Sawyer Fielding representing leaseholders on the estate, added: “The battle between a group of residents and the council sent shockwaves through the regeneration industry.

“The manner in which leaseholders are engaged with is under the spotlight. Fairness in treatment and in consultation is increasingly important. The struggle of the Aylesbury Estate has highlighted how important it is for regeneration to happen with residents rather than to them.”