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'Build more council homes' plea to chiefs
HOUSING chiefs are being urged to build more council houses as part of a plan to regenerate an inner city Leeds neighbourhood.
The council has published a draft blueprint – currently out for public consultation – that will help guide plans to reshape the Little London estate on the edge of the city centre.
A key plank of the regeneration is a scheme to build hundreds of new homes under a Government-backed Private Finance Initiative (PFI).
But there are fears the initiative will do nothing to tackle the affordable housing crisis facing the city and is more of a device to "gentrify" the 1960s-built council estate.
In a document prepared as part of the public consultation, Leeds University academic Stuart Hodkinson, who is also a community advisor to the Little London Tenants and Residents Association, says the council's draft scheme would see a reduction of between 15 and 27 local authority homes.
He also points out there is a questionmark over the future of three multi-storey blocks – which the council is considering selling to a private developer – and adds: "Overall, this represents a major change in the mix of housing tenures towards the free market and away from social housing."
Mr Hodkinson said the number of council homes in Leeds was expected to fall by up to 15,000 over the next 10 years, which would add to the shortage of affordable housing.
Desire
He said: "Leeds – and Little London – desperately needs to retain its existing social rented stock."
Noting that the draft blueprint says that one of the aims is to "maximise the market potential of the area," Mr Hodkinson says: "This speaks more of a desire to gentrify the community as part of the city centre growth strategy."
He acknowledges that the blueprint – called a development framework – has much to commend it including housing improvements, proposals to make the estate safer and more attractive, better shops and a new community centre.
Mr Hodkinson adds: "It is very much hoped that this framework does not become watered down during the competitive dialogue and final negotiations of the PFI procurement process."
Public consultation runs until the end of this month, and the council will consider all the comments made.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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