Council flats to be demolished

[Rich44]

We have a lot of small 2 storey flats built by the council in the 30's most of them are still council owned and run.

Round the back of some of these flats is an old print works owned by local company Jarrolds, they basically want to redevelop it I dont know whether theyre doing it or they have just sold it on (presumably the latter).

The latest info is they now want to demolish a row of the flats to build a hotel etc in, all the flats are occupied and some have been bought under RTB.

There is a chronic low cost housing shortage in norwich and with 1 bed flat rent being over £400 and all new developments selling for over £150,000 (flats again) its crazy I cannot see how the council can even entertain this idea.

Also the flats are in a "conservation area" of the city councils making and sit on the inner ring road so are highly visible.

If you now look at the housing exchange website nearly every resident is desperately trying to get a homeswap (which no one is going to do obviously).

We live a short hop up the road in similar flats and we're horrified at the council and Jarrolds ideas is there anything we can help these people do to fight this?

Theres a little info on the ideas here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/5056066.stm

[Rich44]

The full story from the EDP is that they want to demolish them redevelop the area and then build 60 low cost housing units for housing association BUT if you can trust the council that will happen. There was supposed to be a 10% low cost housing quota on all new builds and the council never enforced it so i'll put money on them not building these new homes, besides who wants their huge hotel etc with housing association homes on the same site, no developer is gonna want that.

Oh and also I found this quote interesting, we have been pushing for double glazing, new bathrooms and kitchens for our flats (theyre the same age in the same area) and been told we are at the back of the queue to be done in over 3 years time (the areas seen by the tourists get first go, obviously despite the fact theyre decades newer).

Anyway bearing in mind our flats are the same age have the same kitchens, bathrooms and windows the council have been quoted as saying

Kris Reeves, the city council's acting head of strategic housing, said the existing properties failed the decent homes standard and would cost between £500,000 and £750,000 to bring up to scratch.

"That's just the kitchens and bathrooms," she said. "They also need their windows replacing. The 60 affordable units will be of a much higher standard and also be bigger."

So if they say that about those flats how can they say ours are ok for another 3/4 years?

[Rich44]

Ok ive been thinking so far the council have admitted that the flats built in this area in the 1930's are below standard and need new bathrooms, kitchens and double glazing.

existing properties failed the decent homes standard

Is it worth getting a few tenants together and taking the council to small claims court over getting this work done or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

[shellshocked]

Interesting my own thoughts are :-

If they demolishing but not building the new flats until some time after then where are the existing tenants supposed to live in the mean time?

Why are councils not enforcing low cost quotas? (same happens here)

Why are councils repeatedly getting rid of council houses and flats when their is major housing shortages?

[callumsgran]

its my understanding that they have yo rehouse you while they build the new homes

[Rich44]

They are going to rehouse (on top of the £4500 pay off) but they will get to choose where they want to go and they can choose to come back and live in one of the new properties once they are built.

worked out the figures yesterday

50 existing properties

60 new ones to be built

Net gain 10 new homes

140 additional properties to be built to be sold at commercial rates (£200,000+)

Lets see riverside location, 5 mins walk to major employers, 5 mins to city centre, 2 mins from nice riverside walks and 10 mins from Riverside leisure development (pubs, cinema, bowling alley etc) I reckon 3 bed house £250,000 minimum that'll be nice for some speculative landlord or londoner to buy up with a big fat chunk built on the council land