Residents living on Council-owned Farnham, Hilldene and Chippenham Road housing estates in Harold Hill have received a copy of the Landlord Offer and voting information.
The Landlord Offer details Havering Council’s plans to demolish and replace their current homes in a ballot to help secure external regeneration funds from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The Council has distributed its Landlord Offer to estate residents on the third phase of the Harold Hill regeneration, involving the redevelopment of the high street and town centre itself.
It explains that all eligible Council tenants will be offered “a new modern home on the rebuilt estate” if they wish to return after being rehomed during the building phase.
The Council needs a majority vote in favour of its plans to receive external grant funding from the Greater London Authority in order to proceed with the redevelopment.
This phase proposes more than 450 new 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes for local people, of which at least 40% will be affordable, including Social Rent and London Affordable Rent homes.
Over the course of the entire consultation period, it has been clear that residents and business owners have bigger ambitions for the area.
There is a willingness to maximise the potential with a comprehensive regeneration of the town centre to include new shops, better public spaces, landscaped areas, play facilities and a masterplan of buildings designed to improve safety and security for all.
This vote runs just before the next public consultation on Phase Two of the Harold Hill Town Centre Regeneration at Farnham and Hilldene, following the feedback received at the last consultation in April 2024.
It will showcase how that public response has influenced the new plans for the scheme.
Pop up events at Harold Hill library will take place on Wednesday 20 November and Thursday 21 November and further information (including access to the feedback form) will be available on the Regeneration page.
Councillor Paul McGeary, Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, said:
“We are committed to working closely with the residents of Farnham, Hilldene and Chippenham Road to create a vibrant, sustainable, safe and inclusive community.
“This Landlord offer represents a significant opportunity to attract external investment to secure the future of the estate, and we encourage all eligible residents to participate in the ballot and make sure their voices are heard.”
The ballot is open to residents aged 16 and above as long as they fall into one or more of the following criteria:
- Council secure and introductory tenants named as a tenant on the tenancy agreement dated on or before the date the landlord offer is published (14 October 2024).
- Resident homeowners (leaseholders and freeholders) named on the lease or freehold title who have lived on the estate as their principal or primary home for at least 12 months prior to the date the Landlord Offer is published.
- Any resident whose principal home is on the estate and who has been on the Council housing register for at least one year.
If a tenancy, lease or freehold title is in more than one name, then all named tenants, leaseholders and freeholders will be eligible to vote. Voting eligibility is set out by the GLA.
Voting in the estate ballot opens on Wednesday 30 October, closing at 5pm on Monday 25 November, and will be conducted in accordance with the guidelines set by the Greater London Authority on transparency and fairness, using independent third-party Civica to oversee the voting process.
The results of the ballot are expected in December 2024.