Three under-threat housing estates in south London are set to be spared demolition after years of uncertainty for residents. Lambeth Council has outlined plans to protect Central Hill in Crystal Palace and Cressingham Gardens near Brixton, with work diverted to maintaining existing properties and bringing vacant homes back into use.
Under the proposals, Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens are to be taken off the estate redevelopment programme. Knights Walk in Kennington will be removed from the New Homes Hexagon Portfolio, a major £250 million public and private sector partnership plan to build about 500 new homes across the borough.
Council to reverse redevelopment plans
Lambeth Council's cabinet is expected to reverse the plans at a meeting on Wednesday. According to a report presented to Lambeth's cabinet, council officers found comprehensive redevelopment of both Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens to be financially unviable. It would have involved bulldozing both and rebuilding them.
The completed first phase of Knights Walk has reportedly left the second phase of the site inaccessible and unviable. The council said it will focus on delivering "genuinely affordable homes" while respecting the borough's architectural heritage by avoiding demolition of these sites.
Residents' long campaign
Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens are two post-war developments that were designed by a team of Lambeth architects led by Ted Hollamby, who was renowned for creating modernist housing that improved everyday life for social housing residents. But for more than 12 years, residents have been in limbo and have campaigned to stop the council from knocking down their estates and replacing their homes.
Tom Keene, an active member of the Save Cressingham Gardens campaign, in 2020 told The Guardian the community felt they were in a "Kafkaesque nightmare". Cressingham Gardens, adjacent to Brockwell Park, has 306 homes with about 1,000 people living there. A 2022 review by Sir Bob Kerslake, former head of the civil service, found feedback from residents on the estates was "uniformly negative", with levels of trust in the council "exceptionally low" due to poor communication and inconsistent policy.
Council leaders welcome the decision
The council had been previously taking forward the estate renewal programme through its housing company Homes for Lambeth. Sir Bob's 2022 review recommended closing down the company and the project was subsequently brought back in-house by the council.
Martin Abrams, Green leader of Lambeth Council, said: "This is a decisive moment for Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens. It recognises the relentless work of my colleagues in securing the future for these communities without demolition. We can now focus on investing in residents' homes and bringing empty properties back into use."
Scott Ainslie, cabinet member for property, planning and development, built environment and public realm, said Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens were "valued places with strong communities and distinctive architecture". The councillor added: "We have stood with residents for years in arguing that their future should not depend on demolition. We can build the homes Lambeth needs without erasing the best of what earlier generations created. Our new programme will pursue high-quality, sustainable council and social housing on suitable sites, using every viable delivery model."
The council intends to work with residents on plans for Westbury Estate in Clapham Town. Officers also plan to review options for Fenwick Estate in Clapham North, while developing options for South Lambeth Estate with the community.
