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West Hendon regeration work could be restarted if Barnet Council gets funding

4:30pm Thursday 11th March 2010 in


A STALLED regeneration project has been named on a short-list for funding to get work restarted.

The Kickstart cash could be used to help the West Hendon development after Barnet was named among 21 other schemes in the capital to get almost £3m of cash.

If succesful it will be used to build 194 houses and flats in the Pilot and Lakeside developments of the master plan.

Of these four blocks 151 flats will be for private sale by Barratt Homes while 43 will be council stock for existing residents.

Last year £10m was given from the same fund, administered by the Homes and Communities Agency to the Stonegrove and Spur Road estate in Edgware.

Councillor Richard Cornelius, who is in charge of regeneration, said: “We all hope that the HCA will recognise the efforts that Barnet and partners have made to get this scheme going and take us from "short list" to "builders on site", delivering the new homes that we need.”

A final announcement on funding allocations will be made next month.

Comments(6)

Grumblepop says...
1:20am Fri 12 Mar 10

Administered by the Governments Homes and Communities Agency, The Kickstart cash of almost £3m" from government and taxpayer alike is to SUBSIDISE Barratt Homes to build, and please note, PRIVATE Homes for sale & profit. The 43 shoe-boxes will most likely be for the private Housing Association partner instead of Council/local taxpayers stock with secure tenancies. Interestingly our neighbours Islington, are forging ahead with building council housing given by Government and yourselves.
In these recessionary times it's hard to imagine, that families on Barnet's Housing waiting list could afford to buy a Barrat's Home.
As one commenter stated in his letter on these pages "The redevelopment plans are to make vast sums of money for property developers while creating the slums of the future." Meanwhile....
Wait for the elected chancers to come back with their two pennerth of spin.

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Antoinette says...
11:32am Fri 12 Mar 10

Exactly, Grumblepop ... when is Barnet Council going to acknowledge the dire shortage of housing in this borough for its most needy residents? Instead of shoving these families into subsidised private accommodation at vast expense investment is needed in increasing the stock of social housing.

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Grumblepop says...
3:12pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Those at the sharp end of housing campaigns in this borough, including ones from that particular estate have always asked a simple question, What is the distinction between the words 'council housing' and it's re-definition to 'social housing'. Given that all housing encompasses a social element. I'm no English grad but distorting the English language by high earning public sector social engineers, does not remove the stigma from being, a 'chav' to a 'shav' from a social estate'. We have found every manner of politically correct alternative descriptive but hey anybody in any kind of state housing has to have a distinctive label. To the Manor born. Maybe I'm a grumbler that is wrong

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Grumblepop says...
4:32pm Fri 12 Mar 10

A comment on positive reporting that makes a good copy.
(1) It's difficult to imagine that Government's Homes & Communities Agency would readily give money to this kind of project because of the build ratio of Private Social and Council.
(2) Most likely if not certainly, Barnet was on a RESERVE list. Quite different to the 'Shortlist' of 21 other schemes.
(3) At a guess This project may not kick-off in the forseeable future between sometime 2018 up to 2028.

Finally, it's good journalism to seek the facts and figures from those people on the estate discussing this wih the various Govenrmental Agencies

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Antoinette says...
4:52pm Fri 12 Mar 10

strange, isn't it, how Barnet Council is suddenly able to bask in the warm glow of so many fabulous new schemes which are actually being funded not by them but by other agencies ... bit like one of my kids standing outside Tescos with a begging bowl, then trying to impress me with a cut price mother's day present bought with the ill gotten gains (- and if any of you kids are reading this don't get any clever ideas ...)

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Grumblepop says...
9:03pm Fri 12 Mar 10

It's a Wonderful analogy.
MORE STRANGE, is the silence from the Labour Housing Brief. I wonder if he will be attending the Defend Council Housing Conference on the 19th March at the TUC Conference Centre. Two contributers hopefully are Cllr Phil Waker, exec member for housing, Barking & Dagenham Council, Cllr Catherine Smart, executive member for housing, Cambridge City Council.

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