Stonebridge Social Housing Funding Appeal

Stonebridge54b@hotmail.co.uk

10^th January 2012

Letter sent today to members of Parliament: RT Honourable Grant Shapps MP
Minister for Housing
House of Commons
Westminster London W1

Dear Mr Shapps,

 

I am writing to bring to your attention the community led Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme in St Ann’s Nottingham.

There is an urgent need for good quality social housing in England to provide spaces for the thousands of people on council waiting lists, and for first time buyers to take the first step on the property ladder. At the moment your coalition arrangement of Conservative & Liberal Democrat MP’s are keen to give active support and finance to schemes that provide good quality social housing in the East Midlands.

 

As a former tenant of Stonebridge Park, and enthusiastic supporter of the areas’ Stonebridge Park Tenants & Residents Association, I am keen to promote and encourage dialogue and financial negotiations between MP’s, government Departments and the Developer Leicester Housing Association which will lead to a successful conclusion in obtaining the Kick Start funding required to begin building Phase 2 of the scheme in the autumn of 2012.

 

The community led Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme actively began in January 2006 when the preferred developer Leicester Housing Association joined the programme. Following a period of local consultations, and planning application, the first blocks of unpopular flats were demolished in January 2008 and the turf cutting ceremony to begin building Phase 1a and Phase 1b was held on 17^th December 2010. The first completed house on Stonebridge was marked at a ceremony in October, and the completion date is due in 20 weeks time; sadly it is all taking a long while to achieve!

 

Lovell East, the contractor chosen to build all of the houses, flats and apartments on the Stonebridge Park Estate, have done an amazing job building the housing units to a very high standard in a short period of time. I have followed and photographed the building works every 14 days over the past year, and I praise their high standard of workmanship.

 

Unfortunately, while the community led Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme was given a high priority in 2010 to acquire government funding through the Homes & Communities Agency, in 2011 the priority has been given less importance. In addition while the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced new Kick Start funding of £17m for our Local Enterprise Partnership of Nottinghamshire, Nottingham and Derby in November 2011, in which Nottingham City council may benefit by more than £4.3m – Stonebridge Park does not qualify under the criteria.

 

Together this has led to significant criticism of the Coalition, and Housing Minister Grant Shapps from the media and Labour front bench spokes woman Maria Eagle who said: “Mr Shapp's latest announcement was trying to hide the fact that he has presided over a 99% fall in the last six months in new housing [construction project] starts. I think the issue about affordable housing is that there isn't enough of it. Yes, you have to crack down on abuse”, but added: "What we really need to see is more social housing being built - that's what Grant Shapps isn't doing."

 

At the present time there is great concern that there will not be any new Kick Start funding to progress the Stonebridge Park Regeneration Scheme for another two years. It will therefore be held in limbo for another 24 months at a time when new social housing is in great need.

 

I am therefore asking for your full support in giving our community led Stonebridge Park Regenerations Scheme a welcome financial Kick Start to allow the Developer Leicester Housing Association to begin building Phase 2. I am also inviting Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg & Housing Minister Grant Shapps along to visit Stonebridge later this year to capitalise on the amazing publicity their announcement would generate if they give our Stonebridge Park scheme their full support and provide the necessary finance needed to complete the scheme in the coming months.

 

If you are a member of the coalition, please contact your senior officers in the relevant government departments and encourage them to assist in providing the urgently needed financial support to the Developer Leicester housing Association for the Stonebridge Park Estate. Please also ask the Treasury for the additional £11m urgently needed to complete our Stonebridge Regeneration scheme in the months ahead.

 

I conclude by saying thank you for helping our St Ann’s community with your generosity.

  Yours sincerely
Richard Pearson