Malthouse rejects Earls Court tenants’ acquisition bid

Housing minister Kit Malthouse has refused an application from Earls Court residents to take control of their social housing stock. West Kensington and Gibbs Green Community Homes has spent the past four years fighting for a transfer of its housing from Hammersmith & Fulham Council to a new housing association. Malthouse said: “WKGGCH’s proposed transfer will have a significant detrimental impact on the regeneration of the local area.” In a letter dated 9 July 2019, Malthouse vetoed the move and added: “WKGGCH does not meet the criteria for a tenant group… and therefore LBHF had valid grounds to reject the notice.” The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government concluded that the transfer would not impact the council’s ability to deliver housing services, but said it would be at a cost to the regeneration, which it said “is making concrete progress”. West Kensington and Gibbs Green are two adjacent estates in West Kensington, W14, in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. The estates contain 760 homes and close to 2,000 residents, 600 of whom are members of WKGGCH. The tenants group requested a transfer of stock from Hammersmith and Fulham Council in 2015. At the time, the residents argued the transfer of estates to Capital & Counties Properties was not complete, giving opportunity for the bid. The group also said the masterplan had completely changed and that a number of stipulations had not been met, including relocation of the tenants and determination of the phasing in which the land would be transferred. CapCo argued that the agreement is legally binding and that it is de facto owner of the land. The council rejected the proposal and it was escalated to the secretary of state. The government department has since engaged with the group, the council and CapCo. Jonathan Rosenberg, West Ken Gibbs Green community organiser, said: “Frankly, it is outrageous. This is supposedly a quasi-judicial process and there has not been the slightest sign of any judicial behaviour whatsoever. “It’s extraordinary – we’re just a little tenant group and we’ve had the full weight of government hurled at us.” Rosenberg berated the use of a consultant’s report dated February 2017 and the lack of communication, with the group shocked at the sudden announcement with no notice four years after the application. He said: “Our community wants to get on with this, and we have been told four years later that the definition of the tenant group was wrong and there is a new definition. As for the ‘concrete progress’, I am speechless. “So much for the government’s commitment to listening to tenants; so much for the change of heart post-Grenfell – there’s no sign of it here.” WKGGCH now has six weeks to appeal the decision, with a deadline of 20 August. CapCo has been approached for comment. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette