Residents at heart of regeneration as Mayor Fiaz proposes enhanced right to return in Custom House plans.
Newham Council has reaffirmed that residents remain at the heart of regeneration plans in Custom House following an announcement by Mayor Fiaz of proposals for the most resident-focused Landlord Offer by a local authority in London.
In response to ongoing local engagement with residents, Mayor Fiaz has confirmed that a significantly enhanced Landlord Offer will be put to the Council’s Cabinet for approval later on this year. The Offer would then be presented to residents in a ballot to determine whether the regeneration goes ahead.
Alongside secure tenants, it is proposed that for the first time Private Rented Sector Tenants will also benefit from the right to return to a council home or to Housing Association-owned social housing when the programme is completed. This offer will be for those Private Rented Sector tenants, including those living in Mears properties, who have lived in the Custom House regeneration area for 5 years or more on the date the Landlord Offer is published and who have been placed in the area by the Council.
Mayor Fiaz said: “There is a significant programme of regeneration taking place in the Canning Town and Custom House area which the Council is driving. I pledged when I stepped into office back in May 2018, to initiate a sea-change in the way we work and collaborate with our residents, putting them at the heart of everything we do. The regeneration programme in Custom House is a testament to that promise. Residents are involved every step of the way of our development plans for the area, and are helping us shape the restoration of their neighbourhoods for the benefit of the whole community.”
“The approach to our proposed Landlord Offer that we have announced is another example of that commitment, and is part of the most significant and substantial offer by any local authority in the capital.
We propose to replicate this gold standard approach across all our proposed Newham regeneration programmes, including in Canning Town and the Carpenters Estate redevelopment.”
In taking on the role of master developer, the Council has the potential to deliver 3,500 homes on Council-owned land in Canning Town and Custom House in the next 15 years. In line with the pledge of Mayor Fiaz, it is intended that 50 per cent of these homes will be at social rent levels. The proposals will be subject to viability.
Mayor Fiaz added: “Under my administration, Newham Council will continue to listen to our residents and all sections of the community, including local organisations like the Peoples Empowerment Alliance of Custom House. I’m pleased that we are advancing our ground breaking approach to estate regeneration, which will bring much needed certainty for our private rented sector tenants who have lived in the area for more than five-years and placed there by the Council, including tenants currently housed in Mears managed properties. The proposed Custom House landlord offer for Private Rented Sector tenants will, subject to Cabinet approval, include the right to return to Council or Housing Association-owned social housing in the area being redeveloped once completed. This is an unprecedented offer and reflective of the radical housing delivery ambitions we have for Newham and its people.”