Earls Court tenants to make second bid for social housing stock

Residents of two estates in Earls Court are making a second attempt to take control of their social housing stock. It comes weeks after Delancey returned ownership of the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates to Hammersmith & Fulham Council, following a ferocious 12-year battle between residents, the local council and former owner Capital & Counties. The West Kensington and Gibbs Green Community Homes residents’ group is preparing to make a renewed legal challenge to the council, which could ultimately see the homes transferred to a new housing association. The two estates contain 760 homes and close to 2,000 residents, 600 of whom are members of WKGGCH. The group has fought for five years to take ownership of the council estates and protect their homes. Despite the council’s reassurance that it will not demolish their homes, the group is pursuing a revived bid for ownership. Members will vote on issuing a fresh Right to Transfer proposal notice at their next meeting in January. WKGGCH community organiser Jonathan Rosenberg said: “The residents don’t have any control over what the council may or may not do. Only by going into community ownership can the residents take control of their homes and secure their futures.” Failed attempt Former housing minister Kit Malthouse refused the first attempt on three counts in July. He said the development was making concrete progress, returning the estates would be a detriment to the regeneration, and the group did not meet the criteria for a tenants’ group. Malthouse said tenants must be able to provide legal contracts proving their residence, which the residents argue is complex and near impossible to do. WKGGCH has revised legal documents stipulating voting procedures. The change will force the council to identify votes from tenants. The group also contests claims from Malthouse that the Earls Court development has made “concrete progress” and that their acquisition would be a detriment to the regeneration. In October, Hammersmith & Fulham Council approved a programme to take control of the development through acquisition or compulsory purchase order. At the time, council leader Stephen Cowan said the scheme was “dead” and “undeliverable”. Capital & Counties has since sold its 63% interest in the Earls Court Partnership to Delancey and APG. In a second transaction, Delancey sold the conditional land sale agreement for the two estates back to Hammersmith & Fulham Council, which vowed to halt development, separating the estates from the Earls Court Partnership regeneration. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette