SUMMER 2010
ISSUE 14
focus EAST THAMES
More than a housing association
Making a splash on the Ocean Estate... See Page 3
TOP STORIES >> WHAT IS THE COST OF HIGH DENSITY HOUSING IN LONDON?
RESIDENTS CELEBRATE OCEAN ESTATE REGENERATION
EAST POTENTIAL BOARD MEMBER CYCLES 300 MILES FOR CHARITY
Developers of social housing are increasingly building homes in smaller areas. New research looks at how much this costs residents, landlords and the government.
Residents from the Ocean Estate came to celebrate the launch of the £200 million regeneration programme, which will transform the estate into a more vibrant community.
Alec Dick, an East Potential Board member, raises £2,000 for Great Marvellous Cool Living (GMCL), a project for young people with mental health problems.
020 8522 2000 | www.east-thames.co.uk
Making a positive and lasting contribution to the neighbourhoods in which we work
What is the cost of high density housing in London?
Left to right: June Barnes, Belinda Porich and Michael Jones
With land at a premium in the capital, and the ongoing need for more affordable homes, developers of social housing have increasingly built more homes in smaller areas.
which service charges are used to charge tenants and leaseholders for maintenance of communal services such as concierge and lifts and maintaining shared gardens.
Although a lot of work has been done to improve the design standards of high density developments to ensure they are comfortable and inviting places to live, the financial impact of high density developments has been less well understood.
June Barnes, Chief Executive at East Thames Group, said that although service charges were essential for maintaining social housing, more needed to be done to reduce them.
A report commissioned by East Thames, the National Housing Federation and the Tenant Services Authority, has sought to answer the question ‘What is the cost of high density housing in London for residents, landlords and the government?’ The research, carried out by Michael Jones from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, has found that high density social housing can be more expensive for both tenants and landlords and that affordability needs to be consistently taken into account at the early stages of development. The report also found a wide variety of ways in
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“We do not want a repeat of the 70s and 80s where decades of underinvestment led to dilapidated and crime-ridden social housing estates. This report has shown there is a cost to this with more than two thirds of service charges derived from grounds maintenance, cleaning and caretaking, which includes the costs of concierge and security. “As an industry we need to look not only at how we charge for these services in a more consistent way, but also how we can reduce these overall costs to tenants.” The report can be downloaded at: www.east-thames. co.uk/assets_cm/files/pdf/ ReportServiceCharges.pdf
Did you know? Nearly 60% of all on newbuild flats in Lond in e arg ch have a service . ek we r pe 0 excess of £1
Belinda Porich, Head of London at the National Housing Federation, urges social housing developers to do more to ensure service charges are affordable. “The majority of social housing tenants are on low incomes, so it is vital that their housing remains affordable. Although higher density is necessary in London and helps provide thousands of people each year with affordable homes, we need to make sure it is cost effective for the longterm. That means looking at the costs of maintaining the building in the design stages”.
Residents celebrate regeneration of the Ocean Estate Over 300 residents from the Ocean Estate in Tower Hamlets came together in early July to celebrate the launch of the £200 million regeneration programme, which will transform the estate into a larger, more vibrant community. During the event residents received information about the regeneration programme and the improvements they will soon be seeing in their area, while enjoying live entertainment and a BBQ. And there was great news for local people looking for employment opportunities too. Bellway and Wates, two of the partners working on the project, have agreed a local labour target of 25%. This opens up opportunities to local people in a range of roles including construction, administration and resident liaison. East Thames’ staff were also on hand to discuss employment and training programmes available locally to help Ocean Estate residents gain new skills and get back into work. More than 20 people signed up on the day. Tower Hamlets Council Lead Member for Housing, Heritage and Planning said: "This long awaited regeneration is now starting to take shape before our eyes and it's great to celebrate this important milestone
with the community. A lot of residents have played an important part in making this regeneration a reality and the council is grateful for their ongoing help and involvement." Neil Baron, Development Manager from East Thames Group said: “Now that we are starting to see real change on Ocean Estate, it’s
important to keep the community updated on the progress. Events like this offer the perfect opportunity for residents to speak directly with people working on the project to have their say and better understand the benefits they will receive from the transformation.” The Ocean Estate regeneration project will deliver: • refurbishment of existing council homes • 800 new homes, almost half of which will be affordable • improvements to the estate’s landscape • new community facilities The pilot refurbishment programme has already provided new kitchens, bathrooms and other repairs to 170 homes. The Homes and Communities Agency has allocated more than £41 million to support the provision of new affordable homes on the estate.
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East Thames award shortlist hat trick
Over the summer East Thames has been shortlisted for three awards, recognising the work we do providing affordable and environmentally sustainable homes and great customer service.
Adler Court, shortlisted for Affordable Home Ownership Awards 2010
Awards: Housebuilder Awards 2010 Category: Best customer satisfaction initiative Project: Talkback Thursdays Talkback Thursdays is our opportunity to get resident feedback on our homes. East Thames staff spend time at new developments, finding out what residents think of their new homes. Residents complete a Talkback Thursdays survey which gives us valuable information that we use to improve the design of future developments. This is the second year running that we’ve been shortlisted for a Housebuilder Award. We’ll find out if we’ve been successful on 28 October.
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Awards: Affordable Home Ownership Awards 2010 Category: Best small development Project: Adler Court, Earlham Grove (above)
Awards: Sustainable Housing Awards 2010 Category: Low energy social housing project of the year Project: Greener Homes for Redbridge
Adler Court is a development of 15 one and two bedroom apartments in Forest Gate, available on the Rent Now Buy Later scheme, which gives residents an opportunity to live in their home before deciding to buy a share in it. Originally owned by the United Synagogue Trust, the site’s original buildings date from 1877 and have been sensitively converted to affordable homes for Newham residents.
The Greener Homes for Redbridge project gave 20 empty, older street properties a green refurbishment. The result has been a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 80% and an average reduction in fuel bills of 44%. Great news for the families that have now moved into the homes. The project will help us understand what changes can be made to other properties to cut CO2 and energy bills.
The winner of the Affordable Home Ownership Awards 2010 will be announced on 9 September.
We’ll know if we’ve won this award by 22 October.
Mammoth bike ride raises £2,000!
Alec Dick with two GMCL residents
Alec Dick, an East Potential Board member, cycled over 300 miles last month to raise money for one of our projects. Alec raised a huge £2,000 from the ride, which will be donated to Great Marvellous Cool Living (GMCL), a project run out of the First Step Foyer for young people with mental health problems. Alec’s two wheeled journey began on Thursday 24 June in Walthamstow, east London. He
cycled from there to Baston, Lincoln, Beverley, Scarborough, Whitby, and then across the North Yorkshire Moors, to arrive in Stokesley on Wednesday 30 June. An incredible journey and an incredible sum of money raised for the GMCL project. During the ride Alec and his cycle buddy, Bob Howell, wore T-shirts designed specially for them by Moses, one of the GMCL residents. T-shirts have been given away to supporters who made large donations via Alec’s Just Giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/ path-of-least-resistance. The page is still open for anyone who wants to make a donation. Alec said, “Hot, sweaty, sticky, dirty, back-aching, bum numbing hard work for sure but hugely enjoyable. It has been a great personal experience but the sharing of it and the absolutely fabulous support and very generous donations have made it truly exceptional.”
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Getting involved in the Olympic legacy New appointments to our boards Melba Palhazy (bottom far right) with fellow commissioners
We have recently welcomed a number of new members to both the East Thames and East Potential Boards.
L-R: Graham Lust, Ashley West and Rita Dattani
Ashley West
Melba Palhazy, Foyer Programmes Manager at East Thames, has been given an official role in making sure the 2012 games are the most sustainable yet. Melba has been appointed to the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 - the body which scrutinises the sustainability of the London Olympic programme. The Commission is independent from the organisations responsible for building and preparing for the Games and monitors their plans to make sure they deliver the legacy that was promised when London won the bid. The Commission is currently looking at how London 2012 will involve local people and promote healthy living, issues which Melba is passionate about: “Sustainability is about much more than the environment, it’s about communities. As a member of the Commission, I want to make sure that the people living and working in the Olympic boroughs feel part of the Games, rather than just feeling like it’s happening on their doorstep but they’re not really involved in it. “We’re working with organisations like the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and
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Paralympic Games to give them recommendations for how they can make the Games’ legacy a key part of their planning, so that east London doesn’t miss out on the huge opportunities that 2012 will bring.” More information about the Commission is available at www.cslondon.org.
East Thames Board Ashley takes on the role as chair of our Group Risk Management and Audit Committee. He is an experienced finance director who serves on a number of boards, including MHS Homes.
Rita Dattani
East Thames Board Rita is the chief executive of Westhill, a property company, and has a background in housing development and regeneration.
Graham Lust
East Thames Board Graham is a consultant with law firm Boodle Hatfield and has a wealth of experience specialising in housing and regeneration law. He has previously advised on legacy proposals for the 2012 Olympics.
Carolyn Clark
East Potential Board Carolyn has worked in senior positions for London health authorities, homeless charity Crisis and the regeneration body Shoreditch Trust.
Christine Bowden
East Potential Board Christine has recently retired as Deputy Mayor of Newham, where she chaired the Community Executive which commissions local services and was a member of the Land Panel which oversees regeneration in Newham.
Breakaway breaks the mould Chris and his support worker, Craig Jones
East Living’s Breakaway care scheme in Thurrock has undergone a dramatic makeover at the hands of its dedicated staff. Breakaway is a respite or ‘short break’ service that gives families, carers and people with learning or physical disabilities a much needed break during short stays. The team prides itself on delivering an exciting and engaging holiday service that allows people to actively participate in fun activities involving multimedia screens, sensory rooms and backyard games. Scheme manager Andy Williams started the redecorating process in March 2010 to breathe some life into the house, ensuring the design reflected the vibrant personality of the service. Between March and June this year, Andy and his team worked tirelessly, giving up annual leave and on occasion, sleep, to redecorate four
bedrooms, a lounge room, dining room and hallway. They did this all with a budget of around £1,500 and only 12 pairs of hands to help at various times. The result speaks for itself - families, carers and services users have all complimented the vibrant, bright and exciting feel throughout the whole house.
Fact File
Break awa to car y provides ers res break by giving s pite have p s to people hort who hysica l disabi or learning lities. The sc hem bedro oms u e has four 40 peo sed by aro u ple ea ch yea nd r.
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A jam packed summer at East Gallery This summer, East Gallery plays host to two fantastic community art exhibitions. Here are the highlights. Moses Calling 24 April – 11 June2010 25 year old Moses is arguably one of east London’s most exciting new artists, and an East Thames resident. He describes his distorted self-portraits and politicallycharged drawings and collages as “expression, therapy, escape”. Moses lives at East Thames’ First Step Foyer in Plaistow as part of a programme for young people with mental health problems and it was from here that he created the artwork for the exhibition. “If I didn’t have my place I wouldn’t have even started. I treat it like a studio – the flat they have given me is a really good place to cultivate my work.” The Story of Stratford 19 July – 3 September East Gallery is currently hosting a life size, multi-media installation of work by local school children to celebrate the changes taking place in Stratford, particularly as the Westfield Stratford City and 2012 Olympic park develop.
The interactive exhibition is supported by Westfield Stratford City and managed by A New Direction, who connect young Londoners with the city’s creative and cultural energy. The exhibition is a fun way for families and schools to explore Stratford’s past, present and future through photos, drawings, sounds, text and video. It has been curated by visual artist Helen Marshall, together with pupils from the Colegrave Primary and Stratford School. And later this year… Residents from our Focus E15 Foyer and other local young people will be taking part in the Blue Train projects. Blue Train is inspired by the Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes exhibition taking place at the Victoria and Albert Museum from September 2010. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in partnership with East Thames and the V&A and will culminate in a range of events including an exhibition of artwork by the young people, held at East Gallery in November. Creative direction for the projects will come from the Arts Steering Group, made up of young creatives from foyers and local neighbourhoods.
Moses Calling was a great opportunity for Moses to show off his art work and an exciting experience: “I’m thrilled because I always wanted my stuff in a gallery, so it’s a milestone on the way to achieving my dream.” Louise Joseph, manager at First Step Foyer, said: “I am continually inspired by the young artists who exhibit in East Gallery. I am so pleased that Moses has discovered his talent and passion for art through living at First Step.
About East Thames East Thames Group provides more than 13,500 affordable homes in east London and Essex. We provide homes for rent, affordable home ownership and residential care homes. But we’re more than a landlord – we’re also a property developer and provider of employment, training and community programmes. Our mission is to make a positive and lasting contribution to the neighbourhoods where we work. And our focus is firmly on east London – this has been the case since we started as a small housing association in 1979 – and that commitment hasn’t changed.
If you would like to contact us for any reason, please contact the Marcoms team: fiona.mcewan@east-thames.co.uk 020 8522 2042 llewellyn.annandale@east-thames.co.uk 020 8536 8898
We welcome feedback on this magazine, or on any aspect of our work. East Thames Focus is produced by East Thames Group, Marcoms Team, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford E15 4PH Tel: 020 8522 2000 Fax: 020 8522 2001 Email: marcoms@east-thames.co.uk Web: www.east-thames.co.uk
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