Grove Park residents vote “yes” to L&Q

Grove Park estate in Lewisham is set to receive £60 million worth of investment after residents voted to transfer ownership from Lewisham Council to London & Quadrant Housing Trust.

A total of 1,439 homes on the estate will be transferred to L&Q after 56 per cent of eligible voters took part in a ballot and 78 per cent of these said they were in favour of the transfer.

Over the next 30 years, L&Q will invest £60 million in Grove Park, with £20 million being spent in the first five years alone. This will ensure tenants and leaseholders benefit from homes that are well maintained, modern and warm in a neighbourhood that is attractive and safe.

L&Q will also work hand in hand with residents to ensure they get an excellent housing service and have a real say about how their homes are managed in the future.

The key promises made by L&Q to Grove Park residents are:

• More community control – a resident-led community board will control how money is spent, define work priorities and oversee the management of homes;

• Extra investment for tenants and leaseholders – not only will L&Q improve homes to exceed the Government’s Decent Homes Standard, but it will invest money to improve external communal areas and green spaces

• More than just bricks and mortar – money has been set aside for employment and leisure opportunities for young people and improvements to community facilities
  
• Safer, stronger communities – L&Q has a strong track record of combating anti-social behaviour and will be funding Neighbourhood Wardens and working with the Council to improve lighting.

Don Wood, Group Chief Executive at L&Q, said: “This is an historic decision for the residents of Grove Park and we are delighted that they have voted to transfer to us.

“Our task now is to repay the faith that residents have shown in L&Q by transforming their homes and neighbourhood into places they can be truly proud of. We are in this for the long term and will listening closely to residents to find out what improvements they want and how we can make Grove Park a real jewel in the borough’s crown.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this transfer and I would personally like to thank all the residents who have got involved so enthusiastically, everyone at Lewisham Council who has supported us and helped make the transfer process a smooth one, and all the London & Quadrant staff who have done a great job in helping us achieve this result.”

Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Services at Lewisham Council, said: “Since the start of the Government’s Decent Homes Standard was introduced, Lewisham Council has been working continuously towards meeting the new standards for decent homes. Much of this time has been spent actively working with the residents in Grove Park. Lewisham believes in a resident-led approach to meeting both the investment needs of decent homes and improving their services.

“We are delighted that residents at Grove Park have voted and chosen one of our local Registered Social Landlords, London & Quadrant Housing Trust, as the partner to deliver on a range of promises. We look forward to continuing our work with residents and helping them fulfil their wishes for better housing.”

Michael Hill, Chair of the Grove Park Residents’ Steering Group, said: “I have lived in Grove Park for nearly 11 years. When I joined the Steering Group and became involved in this process I found that the stock transfer proposal offered the people of Grove Park their best option. We chose London & Quadrant Housing Trust because we felt that their idea of what Grove Park could become matched our thoughts. Also, we were impressed with the work they had done elsewhere.

“Having had a successful ballot we are all looking forward to working with L&Q to provide the residents of Grove Park with the housing and quality of services they deserve.”

Lewisham Council will now consider and ratify the transfer and work with L&Q to finalise details. It is anticipated the transfer will be complete early next year.

This is the third successful balloted stock transfer in Lewisham where tenants have chosen to transfer to a Registered Social Landlord. The first involved the transfer of 204 homes in Lewisham Park to L&Q.

In the wake of these successes, and to prepare for future stock transfer work, L&Q has established a dedicated stock transfer team that will ensure it maintains the high standards set for housing and maintenance services.

pictures below show residents looking at L&Q's plans and an example of a modern kitchen they can look forward to._

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