Boris Johnson and the 'social cleansing' of London's estates
03-06-2016
By Darren Johnson
It was Boris Johnson who first popularised fears about ‘social cleansing’ in London, when he famously promised to ensure it would never happen on his watch.
But when it comes to regenerating London's estates, the awkward truth is that for thousands of people facing the 'regeneration' of their communities, the mayor's policies have only increased those fears.
Getting the truth about Boris's record on housing is not always easy. While the mayor is adept at a colourful turn of phrase, he is far less adept when it comes to statistics. Whenever you hear him talking about estate regeneration and affordable housing, you'll notice that he only ever mentions the number of new homes being built.
What he doesn’t mention are the homes that are demolished first. The most famous example is the Heygate Estate in Southwark where it's often boasted that 2,700 new homes are being built. But before construction could start, 1,100 homes were demolished. So the real number of additional homes is actually just 1,600.
In recent years Boris has also championed so-called Housing Zones, where he says he will build over 50,000 homes. But take account of estate regeneration and the net increase in all types of homes is actually 3,100 lower than the Mayor claims.
Then there is the change in tenure. New studio flats for sale from £350,000 aren’t much use to the existing tenant living off the state pension or the London Living Wage. At the Heygate, after 1,034 council homes are demolished, just 82 new new homes will be let at social rents with secure tenancies. Other ‘affordable’ homes will come with much higher rents, or be sold to people with much higher incomes.
The Heygate may be an overused example, but the wider picture in London is even worse.
I’ve obtained figures from City Hall planners showing that across London there are currently 214 estate regeneration schemes with planning permission, either in progress or not yet started. These figures reveal that after homes are demolished and replacements built, there will be an overall net loss of 7,326 social rented homes across London.
