The council is tiptoeing towards green plans with limited housing projects

Labour-led Lambeth Council appears to have finally accepted the local Green Party’s suggestion to upgrade properties rather than demolish them – but not in the case of property ‘regeneration’ schemes.

Instead, the Council is to upgrade its housing stock at Blenheim Gardens, Caldwell Gardens and Tivoli Road.

The council selected these properties, claiming they were “difficult to treat. “The work authorization report refers to solid walls and heat loss through the fabric.

The title of the report is a bit misleading: District-wide decarbonisation programme it’s not actually in the whole neighborhood. It only deals with Blenheim Gardens on Brixton Hill, Caldwell Gardens in Vassall ward and Tivoli Road in Norwood.

Properties across the three sites will all benefit from:

“Exterior wall insulation, interior wall insulation, flat roof insulation, attic insulation, improved ventilation and more efficient windows and doors.”

The Council’s Deputy Leader (Housing, Investment and New Homes), Councilor Danny Adilypour, has responsibility for accepting a central government grant of £2,492,785 to help fund the project.

In return, Lambeth will match the fund with £2.4m from Housing Capital. A further £1,334,170 will come from the Carbon Offset budget.

Contracts have already been awarded to various companies to complete this work over the next three years.

Breyer Group Plc has secured funding of between £2m and £5m for a three-year deal, with an option to extend it for a further three years. The report does not explain why the value varies between £2m and £5m, or why the work may take between three and six years.

Wates Group also won a contract for the same amount in the same time period. This is a company that seems to be our best partners with the Housing mastermind at City Hall.

Brixton Buzz reported earlier this week how Wates had taken over a contract from Fortem Solutions Limited for housing repairs in the borough. Wates charges more than the original supplier.

Good job…

Joining the modernization part is the Energy Specification. The company is being paid £2 million by the Council for consultancy services on the project.

Hopefully this new upgrade contract will get more attention than the failed home repair contract.

The Retrofit Report adds:

“The Board recognizes that sound contract management is essential to ensure performance standards are met over the contract period. A tiered contract management approach will be adopted, aligned with Council standards, as well as satisfying grant providers.”

It remains to be seen whether a policy of modernization will eventually be adopted in the “regeneration” areas – something many residents have campaigned for over the past decade.