Chapter 02: The Studied and The Explored

Estate

After undertaking my stage two essay on Robin Hood Gardens, a renowned exemplar of brutalist social housing in Tower Hamlets that has been partially demolished, my topic for this piece of writing and research is influenced by the very idea of the growing importance of urban housing, social activism, and urban planning. Cressingham Gardens Estate has been an on-going conversation that has left many Lambeth residents, as well as the wider community, part of growing concerns of regeneration and this idea of ‘social cleansing’

Before delving deeper into the issue concerning Cressingham Gardens, and to shed some light on London’s wider context, the most recent buzz and advancement in the capital last year is the long-awaited development of Battersea Power Station, not far from the site of Cressingham Gardens in the neighbouring borough of Wandsworth. The development has been seen in two opposing lights. For decades, debate has risen as to what should happen to the power station which has been on-going since it has been decommissioned in 1983. However, as far as the surrounding neighbourhood was concerned, it had ultimately become yet another playground for the rich and wealthy. Neil Pinder, a Professor of Architecture stated that there is a striking contrast can be seen from neighbouring housing estates to the Battersea Power Station development, literally across the road. Also stating that it is only a matter of time until developments on nearby council housing such as Patmore Estate, where he grew up, just a stone throws away from Battersea Power Station will either be demolished, or rent would drastically increase to the point where current tenants of the estate are forced to vacate; All because of the regeneration of Battersea, the area is now seen as ‘highly desirable, high-value sites’. It is feared that the same vision will inevitably spreading to the rest of London (This Old Power Station Is Now a £9BN Luxury District, 2022).

Cressingham Gardens Estate is not like any other social housing development that was built at the time of its creation. Located in the South-West side of Brockwell Park in Tulse Hill, the design of the estate by architects Edward Hollamby and Roger Westman was intentionally simple. Compared to tower blocks that dominated the post-war mass housing approach and ideals of the late seventies, the estate is a low-rise development with the intention to avoid blocking views into Brockwell Park (Watson, 2021). The estate was also designed in a way that limited the number of existing trees on site to be taken down; to have a natural, almost seamless transition from the park to the urban environment. The estate comfortably accommodates 306 homes, in a linear arrangement connected by a series of walkways as shown in figure 8. The estate remains as an important model and inspiration in the conversation of the housing crisis (Lowe, 2021).

In the words of renowned author of Municipal Dreams, John Boughton, “Cressingham Gardens Estate is one of the finest council estates in the country’. (Boughton, cited in Wainwright, 2020). Having different families from different backgrounds and cultures, left Cressingham Gardens an incredibly connected and diverse community within itself in South London. Unfortunately, over the years, the estate has been justifiably neglected in terms of its physical conditions and its living standards. Lambeth Council claims that the estate is ‘beyond repair’ at which the proposal for the regeneration scheme for the estate was then put forward in 2012 where the controversy and debate ultimately began. The council claims that they simply don’t have the money to repair and maintain the current state of Cressingham Gardens (Taylor, 2016).

In 2021, Lambeth Council has approved plans to demolish part of the estate after a judicial review specifically a block located at Roper’s Walk that contains a series of four storey complexes initially designed by Conran and Partners. The council has approved the development of 20 new apartment homes that will result in the demolition of 12 existing homes despite having 395 objections and only two that are in favour of the proposed development. (Save Cressingham, 2021). Local residents have expressed their deep concern for the estate quite actively and vocally through the decade-long fight to save the estate. According to the Save Cressingham Word Press, there are multiple concerns and objections that have put forward as a result of the decision that has been made by Lambeth Council and has been accused of ‘salami-slicing’. Salami-slicing, in the context of gentrification, is the process of slowly reducing and demolishing the number of homes; a political tactic to downplay the process until it has taken over the entire estate.

According to a 2015 document on the Lambeth Council page, A proposal report presented to the Lambeth Cabinet back in October 2012 called ‘Lambeth Estate Regeneration Programme: Strategic Delivery Approach’ outlining the regeneration scheme for Cressingham Gardens Estate. In a very detailed document, different options for the existing estate were proposed to the residents. The official five options range from simple tasks and solutions such as the replacement of roofs and general repairs of housing blocks being Option 1, to a full-scale demolition of 306 properties on the estate being Option 5. Below are more detailed outlines of the options and how many properties will be demolished, refurbished and the number of new housings as a result of each proposed alternative (Lambeth, 2015).

Option 1: FULL REFURBISHMENT of existing homes to Lambeth Housing Standard

Option 2: Lambeth Housing Standard and new homes through INFILL DEVELOPMENT.

This option would see 19 properties demolished and replaced with 38 new homes; creates 19 additional homes

Option 3: PARTIAL REDEVELOPMENT (with low intervention)

This option would see 31 homes demolished and replaced with 51 new properties; creates 20 additional homes to the estate.

Option 4: PARTIAL REDEVELOPMENT (with higher intervention)

This option would see 120 homes fully demolished and replaced with 193 new homes; a gain of 73 additional homes to Cressingham Gardens

Option 5: COMPLETE DEMOLITION

306 properties demolished which will be replaced with 464 new properties; creates new and an additional 158 properties

The chart above is a published report outcome of all the participant’s objections and support for each option that was presented by the council with the majority objecting to Options 4 and 5 having full/partial demolitions to be done.