Update on the Eric & Treby Estate Redevelopment

THE BUILDING PLANS

Residents keep asking us about the EastendHomes building plans. MERA has not highlighted these for a long time because we are not being kept informed.

Hoardings prop up here and there, services are being surveyed around the estate etc - but EastendHomes don’t provide us with a plan or any ideas of what or when something will happen next.

But here is what we know.

This is NOT what people were promised when the ballot took place

What they promised the tenants of the Eric and Treby Estate in 2003/2004 PRIOR to the ballot is very different from the plans that the Labour Councillors approved at the Strategic Development Committee meeting at the Town Hall in December 2009.

Material from 2004 specifically outlines the following (these are a few examples):

• EastendHomes did NOT propose to demolish garages below the ramp at Windermere House
• Drawings showed NO building on the Ennerdale car park
• Drawings showed NO building at the end of Loweswater House
• Drawings showed a SMALL office at the bottom of Ennerdale House, not a wrap-around building
• A letter from the Council’s housing director at the time said we would have "a small amount of re-development" - the aim was to stamp out anti-social behaviour
  

See this link for the details

Consultation on the proposed development was a sham and the proposals do NOT have the support of local residents

The planning application approved by the Council covers a set of proposals that EastendHomes where failed to consult effectively with local residents. Many never even knew what was proposed prior to the planning application and MERA's involvement.

Effective consultation with residents may have resulted in a more moderate programme suitable for the area, with SOME building work having to take place as there is a serious shortage of council housing and social housing in the borough and it’s only fair that we help out here.

The views of local residents have been completely disregarded by both East End Homes and the Council and, as a result, we are now faced with infill development with blocks on every corner and the loss of much of our open space and green space.

We're going to be faced with an overcrowded neighbourhood. Will YOU be feeling proud of living here??

See comments from residents at the time

The MERA Committee are meeting with the directors of EastendHomes next week.
We hope to get improved arrangements for communication relating to the redevelopment and a clarification of a schedule of works.
We will keep you updated.

CONDITIONS OF THE PLANNING APPLICATION

Last week many local residents received letters from Tower Hamlets Planning Department.

These letters all relate to the conditions of the planning permission granted in December 2009. You will received the letters if you submitted an objection to the plans in the past.

The deadline to get your comments into the Planning Department is 2nd June.

Don’t worry if you have not received the letters, below are links to the six applications and some notes about what they are about.

PA/10/00704 - Construction management plan. This is the most important application as it relates to how the development will be managed - although it's unclear why this only seems to relate to newbuild at present. It includes:

• the planning conditions summary - this relates to Sites 10, 12 and 14 and the newbuild on those sites only
  
• the project management plan - this indicates a start on site in July 2010 and completion in February 2012. Presumably this relates to the newbuild on Sites 10,12 and 14 only.
• the environment management plan - this references how noise will be handled and the stated arrangements are inadequate as they fail to identify days and times.
  
• the site waste management plan - this indicates that no hazardous wastes associated with demolition are anticipated
  
• the traffic plan - this shows you how the traffic will access and move through the site. It also indicates that the major site compound is to be to the north of Ennerdale House on the area which will become the ball court. The Office compound will be on the St Clements site.
  

We'll be highlighting relevant sections of the project management plan in subsequent blog posts (eg arrangements for delivery and removal of materials from the site)

We've noted that:

• the project management plan has no indication of the scheduling of works on different parts of the site
  
• does not comply with ALL the conditions of the planning permission
  
• much of the headers of the project management plan relate to the Bede Estate and consequently are of no relevance to the Eric & Treby estate.

In addition, there has been no identification of how waste management (relating to residents) is going to be handled for Ennerdale House. Our understanding is that this matter has to be resolved before the planning permission can be signed off. Many residents will recall that we identified that the proposals made by EastendHomes were illegal.

PA/10/00718 - Refuse and recycling for all NEW BUILD at Site 10 (Brokesley Street), site 12 (Beckley House), site 14 (Ropery/Eric Street) Submission of details pursuant to condition 8 (refuse and recycling) in relation to:- Sites 10, 12 and 14 of planning permission dated 22nd March 2010, reference PA/09/2065.

PA/10/00720 - Material samples : request to vary the materials to be used for NEW BUILD at Site 10 (Brokesley Street), site 12 (Beckley House), site 14 (Ropery/Eric Street) Submission of details pursuant to condition 10 (material samples) in relation to:- Sites 10, 12 and 14of planning permission dated 22nd March 2010, reference PA/09/2065. This is the most important document to review

PA/10/00895 - Demolition of 1-14 Brokesley Street: confirmation construction contract now signed - Submission of details pursuant to condition 2 (construction contract) of conservation area consent PA/09/2066 dated 30/030/2010.

PA/10/00896 - London Underground Tunnels (Site 10 Brokesley Street only) - TfL confirms works to site will not affect the underground Submission of details pursuant to condition 6 (London Underground Tunnels Site 10) of planning permission PA/09/2065 dated 22/03/2010.

PA/10/00865 - Reduction of Tree at rear of 648 Mile End Road and adjacent to Site 10 (1 Brokesley Street) in Conservation Area Lime tree in the rear garden to have crown lift 30% and crown reduction 30%.

PA/10/????? - Demolition of wall between St Clements Hospital and 1/14 Brokesley Street. - a link to the relevant planning application has still to be identified on the planning database. No planning application has been made for the temporary demolition of a wall within the conservation area. [UPDATE: A planning application has been submitted today to Tower Hamlets planning Department for Conservation area consent for the demolition and reinstatement of the wall. We wonder why this is so late and who's reading this blog! ]

We don't think the Homes and Communities Agency (the owners of the St Clements site and the wall) has been granted planning powers for granting consents within a conservation area!

We will also be contacting the Planning Department with a view to reviewing all the terms and conditions and identifying the progress to date with ALL conditions.