Ashburton Estate Residents Make Views Clear at Meeting
Calls made for planned development to be scrapped
Ashburton Estate residents outside the meeting
June 23, 2023
A large group of residents of the Ashburton Estate turned up a recent council meeting to make their views known about council redevelopment proposals.
It made for a noisy Housing Committee meeting at the Town Hall on Wednesday 21 June. Over 30 residents wanted to view proceedings but capacity in the public gallery was exceeded before the meeting and Wandsworth Democratic Services had to open a second room with a video link.
Conservative councillors had tabled motions supporting the views of residents of the estate opposed to the planned construction of eight new blocks across Innes Gardens, Hayward Gardens, Cortis Road and Whitnell Way. The opposition councillors wanted the Ashburton Estate Development abandoned.
Representatives from Hayward Gardens and Innes Gardens spoke of their concerns that had already be raised by a petition against the development from over 750 residents delivered to council in February by Councillor Steffi Sutters. A fractious public meeting on the issue had also been held at Ark Putney School in January.
The residents objecting to the proposals spoke of communities being broken up, a peaceful and green environment being disturbed. Concerns have also been raised about lack of infrastructure and the new towers overshadowing existing homes.
The minority Conservative Group tabled a motion calling on the council to take account of residents’ opposition and consider scrapping the scheme entirely as two previous plans to redevelop the fifties-built Ashburton Estate had been abandoned.
The scheme was started by the former Conservative administration with a mix of tenures, but Labour switched all 1,000 planned homes to council rent after taking over in May last year.
This motion voted down by the Labour majority on the committee, but a second motion posed by the Conservative group to make public all feasibility studies was passed with one abstention from Labour Councillor for Roehampton, Matthew Tiller.
Conservative Housing Spokesperson, Cllr Kim Caddy said, “Our approach has always been to keep an open mind. We asked Housing Officers to consider what was possible, but we consulted intensively and genuinely listened to residents. My colleagues on the Conservative side have been overwhelmed by the level of opposition to Labour’s plans, and cannot believe that they are still trying to push ahead.”
Lee Roberts, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman Putney, Roehampton, Southfields and Wandsworth Town added, “ The public gallery was packed and passionate speeches were made by residents against the Ashburton scheme. People are afraid their home environment is going to be lost forever. Nobody on Ashburton wants this. This scheme needs to be scrapped. Why are Labour’s representatives for Ashburton not standing up for their constituents?”
We have asked Wandsworth Council for comment. Previously the council have pledged to work with residents in the redevelopment of the estate and said that the project will deliver much needed new council housing.
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