Issue - meetings

Question 1 – Save Ekin Road Community Group

 

We are the Save Ekin Road community group, and we are writing to you regarding Cambridge City Council's proposals for redevelopment of Ekin Road. We are a group of 60 council tenants and leasehold and freehold residents, living in the flats, semi-detached houses, and bungalows on Ekin Road.

 

As done in the past, we wish to express our thoughts and concerns to you regarding the investigation work and potential development of our estate.

 

Since the commencement of the Council’s consultation process in June 2022, Save Ekin Road has advocated for the preservation of all dwellings on the Ekin Road estate, and for the Council to pursue an “upgrade and repair” plan. This was done out of a concern that many residents may lose their homes unnecessarily and against their wishes.

 

In recent months, a significant amount of additional information has come to light about the conditions of some of the dwellings on the estate, and about the differing wishes, needs, and desires of the residents in different types of dwellings, in particular the differences between those in flats or in houses. This information comes to us from a variety of sources, including the recent Marengo survey of the estate, conversations with ward councillors who have deep knowledge of the entire estate, and our own interactions with other residents in-person and on various social media platforms.

 

We, as a resident group, have always, and will always, advocate for what is best for all residents of the estate. No part of our campaign ever has, or ever will, be about NIMBY-ism, and we advocate for the core needs and rights of everyone. Thus, in light of this new information, Save Ekin Road now wishes to revise its stated position, to better reflect the wishes, needs, and desires of all those on Ekin Road. The position of our group is now as follows, broken up into three key requests to the Council:

 

1.    The Cambridge City Council must, as a matter of urgency, immediately rehouse those residents on Ekin Road who are council tenants and living in substandard, near-uninhabitable dwellings. There are many severe cases of mould, damp and condensation on the estate, and those families need to be rehoused immediately, by direct-let. No family should be living in such conditions, and they cannot wait for the investigation works by the Council to conclude. They need to be rehoused now.

2.    That the Cambridge City Council must, in whatever final plan it produces for the estate, demolish all 72 flats on the estate and rebuild new dwellings in their place. The conditions of many of those flats are dire. And it is clear that it is the wishes and desires of a vast majority of residents living in those flats that they want them taken down. The Council should not look to refurbish those flats, as they are beyond repair and those living in them want them demolished.

3.    That the Cambridge City Council must, in whatever final plan it produces for the estate, retain all 32 semi-detached houses on the estate. Those houses are in good condition, and there is no need to demolish any of them. And it is clear that it is the wishes and desires of a vast majority of residents living in those houses that their houses are very dear to them, and they absolutely do not want to leave them. The Council should not look to demolish any of those houses, as to do so would be an unnecessary construction waste, and cause unnecessary social harm.

 

From the information we now have, the requests to demolish the flats, and retain the houses, match the needs and wishes of those in the flats and houses. And these requests are mutually compatible; we believe it to be possible to demolish all the flats while at the same time retain all the houses. We call on the Cambridge City Council to heed these requests and carry out the necessary pre-project urgent rehousing, as well as produce a project plan that respects the differing, but mutually compatible, desires of various residents on the street. It is perfectly clear what must be done, and it is now in the hands of the Council to see that it is done. We have listened, and we have changed our approach accordingly. We hope that the Council can do likewise.

 

As a concerned resident group, Save Ekin road remains committed to seeing that, whatever the outcome for the estate, it is one that serves the needs of all residents. And we remain committed to working with the Council, collaboratively, to provide whatever insight and understanding might be needed to assist in the efficient running of these important project investigations.

The Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness responded:

        i.       Noted Save Ekin Road’s support for the redevelopment of the flats and officers would forward the points made to the consultants completing the report (JLL).

      ii.        The final JLL report would consider three options:

1.  refurbishment,

2.  partial redevelopment and

3.  full redevelopment.

    iii.        It was important that the report was completed so that the council could take an overall view of the estate.

    iv.       As the council had not made a decision regarding redevelopment or refurbishment it could not undertake the immediate re-housing of tenants via direct lets. Dialogue was ongoing with tenants and residents explaining what options they may have should redevelopment or refurbishment be approved.

      v.       If residents had specific concerns or issues related to damp and mould exposure they should contact Condensation@cambridge.gov.uk.

    vi.       Looked forward to meeting as many residents as possible, including those that are part of Save Ekin Road at the next Liaison Group meeting in March.

 

The Executive Councillor for Communities responded:

        i.       Had attended the last public meeting at Ekin Road.

      ii.        Was pleased to listen to the positive discussion around new homes but grew concerned about the matter of community cohesion.

    iii.        Noted comments from residents who felt their voices supporting new homes had not been heard.

    iv.       Noted advice from the Community Grants Team to ward councillors about exploring community activities for Ekin Road residents going forward. 

      v.       Noted that an Ekin Community Facebook and WhatsApp Group had been formed. 

 

Supplementary Question

        i.       Remained concerned about the conditions of some of the properties / flats at Ekin Road. There was a time issue regarding the proposals for the area taking into consideration the damp, mould and condensation issues in the flats. Refurbishment / redevelopment of the flats would not happen quick enough. The East Barnwell development was not due for completion until 2028, so could not see how this development could be utilised for re-housing.

      ii.        Asked the Council to re-house those people living in affected flats at Ekin Road.

    iii.        The Save Ekin Road Community Group had been in existence for over 18months, and they had learned a lot about the street and their priorities during that time. Hoped their change in position of supporting redevelopment of the flats, re-housing of residents in the affected flats and the retention of the houses would be welcomed.

    iv.       In terms of community cohesion, every effort was being made to ensure that residents on the street were interacting well.

 

Question 2 - Agenda item 8 - Addition of Davy Road estate to 10-Year Housing Programme’

 

Firstly, although the tenants all received letters from Samantha Shimmon, none of the leaseholders in Brackyn Road had received letters about this by Friday 19^th January.  This is unacceptable for several reasons. When talking to my leaseholder neighbours about it I found they hadn’t heard about it and I was actually breaking this shocking news to them. The letter mentioned leaseholders and tenants so all the tenants I’ve spoken to assumed as I did that everyone living in the flats had received letters.

 

We would like an apology to the leaseholders and your assurance that everyone will be kept informed together about general information and no one will be left behind. It is not our job to communicate effectively with the leaseholders on your behalf so we’d like to know as soon as possible whom we can talk to about this if the recommendation is approved tonight? We’d like your assurance that if the member of staff changes, we’ll be updated as soon as possible. Several of the residents have long-term health problems which are exacerbated by stress and at least 2 are seriously ill with life-threatening diseases. The stress of this news is hard enough for healthy people to deal with.

 

Moving on, we recognise that the council must maximise its land and resources so it can build more homes for those who need them and service the ones it already has. We know our flats are old and several have some maintenance issues. However, we also feel sad that our community in Brackyn Road which we’ve worked hard to grow will be broken up. We’d like to know how long it might be before any plans are decided for the redevelopment and how much notice we’d get before having to move out? We understand you’re probably not able to give us exact times however what’s the ballpark timeline based on previous redevelopments in the city?

 

We’re concerned about the trees and wildlife in the area. There are bats in the gardens and lots of trees which provide local wildlife with homes as well as being important to us. Will these be disturbed by the redevelopment? Will there be more cars and fewer parking spaces? We know these and other more detailed questions can probably only really be answered farther along the process however is there someone we can send them to now?

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness responded:

      i.         A letter was sent to tenants and leaseholders on Tuesday 9 January. It was brought to officer’s attention on Monday 15 January that 5 leaseholders at Brackyn Road had not been sent a letter. Letters to these leaseholders were sent by first-class post on Tuesday 16 January.

    ii.         Calls were made to the leaseholders on 19 January to discuss the contents of the letter and to apologise for the error. Emails were also sent to ensure information had been received.

   iii.         A dedicated email account had been set up Davy.Road@cambridge.gov.uk for residents to contact the council with any concerns. Residents could also call to speak with officers.

  iv.         The Council planned to consult with residents in summer 2023. Based on the outcome of the consultation, the Council would then decide whether to bring a report to Housing Scrutiny Committee in September 2024. 

    v.         If a recommendation to redevelop was approved at committee, residents would be advised about timescales, which would include the process for decanting from the estate and the support available for residents.

  vi.         On average, the process for residents to move from their existing home to a property of their choosing took about one year. Support would be provided throughout this process.

 

Supplementary Question

i.    Asked if the redevelopment plans would result in a net gain in social housing units or whether the number of houses would remain the same.

 

The Assistant Director Development (Place Group) responded:

i.    Tt was too early to provide specific details at this early stage of the process. It was hoped that the number of affordable homes on the site was increased if redevelopment was approved at any future Housing Scrutiny Committee. 

 

Question 3

1.    Is the council aware of the recent statements by Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GP's https://www.rcgp.org.uk/News/Damp-mould-exposure?

2.    Does the city council agree with her assessment of the health risks of exposure to damp and mould?

3.    How many flats does the city council own on the Ekin Road estate?

4.    How many of these flats are occupied and how many are vacant?

5.    Can the council provide a timeline with a fixed end date for the rehousing of all the remaining council tenants from the damp and mouldy flats on Ekin Road to alternate accommodation? 

The Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness responded:

i.    The Council was aware of Professor Hawthorne's statements and took issues relating to public health very seriously. The well-being of residents was a top priority and recognised the potential health implications linked to environmental factors such as damp and mould.

ii.  Acknowledged the importance of addressing environmental conditions that may pose risks to health and was committed to ensuring safe and healthy living environments for all residents.

iii. The Operations Team was actively engaged in monitoring and addressing concerns relating to damp and mould within the city.

iv.Was committed to working collaboratively with tenants and stakeholders to identify and rectify issues that may contribute to these conditions.

v.  Concerns around damp and mould should be reported to Condensation@cambridge.gov.uk.

 

Supplementary question:

        i.       Referred to an East Area Committee which took place on 7 July 2016 and noted that the Council had been awarded £70 million pounds to provide council housing as part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

      ii.        Asked why new housing was not provided and instead existing housing was being knocked down and replaced. 

    iii.        Asked for a timeline for re-housing council tenants from flats on Ekin Road.

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing and Homelessness responded:

        i.       The Council owned 72 flats within the 6 blocks at the Ekin Road estate; 10 were leasehold and the remainder were in the Council rental stock.

      ii.        5 flats were currently unoccupied and were undergoing void work.

    iii.        In response to the question about a timeline - a proposal would be submitted to the Housing Scrutiny Committee in June 2024. A decant programme would depend on the outcome of the current investigations.

 

The Assistant Director Development (Place Group) responded:

        i.       With reference to the £70 million funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority - advised that a report was taken to each Housing Scrutiny Committee updating the Committee on the progress of council houses which had been built. This funding was for the 500 council houses building programme. Details regarding each site (numbers / completions etc) was included within the report.