2015 will be a very important year for Ravensbury residents but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons: Circle Housing Merton Priory (CHMP) allied with our very own ward councillor and head of Merton Council, Stephen Alambritis, have seen to that. We had expected Stephen Alambritis to fight our corner, but we have been sorely disappointed. He seems uniquely unable to criticise CHMP and seems happier to serve them instead of the residents of Ravensbury.
There are now 140 residents' signatures on our petition of no confidence in the Circle Housing regeneration consultation. Residents' dissatisfaction is the highest it's ever been. The CHMP regeneration team led by Paul Quinn have kept residents at arms' length, preventing proper access to their architects in order to reduce costs and keep residents involvement to a minimum. CHMP events have lacked the proper integrity expected from such a vast project. Those actually in power seem not to care. In addition, CHMP officers and our own ward councillors have distanced themselves from our residents meetings because of the intense opinions felt by the residents affected.
For almost three months now, Circle Housing have blocked the use of our community hall for 'health and safety reasons'. This has effectively prevented residents from fully engaging in the future of their homes and community, but yet again our ward councillors have been nowhere to be seen. CHMP have dragged its feet all the way when it comes to repairing the hall, resulting in yet more furious resident dissatisfaction.
Last December saw Siobhain McDonagh MP chair a meeting with our Labour ward councillors & CHMP, video of which can be seen on our Ravensbury Residents' Association website. Many residents had hoped this would cast fresh light on the way CHMP had behaved throughout the year. Instead, we sat through what could only be termed a complete white-wash. At its height, Stephen Alambritis refused to acknowledge a petition of no confidence in Circle Housing, signed by over 100 Ravensbury residents. Instead he seemed to consider that the petition lacked provenance, that the self-same Ravensbury ward voters that have put him into office lacked the wherewithal to understand what no confidence actually means. He seemed most aghast that residents have actually got up and expressed opinions that are contrary to his own.
So what does the future hold for Ravensbury in 2015? CHMP's architects have created a design that lacks both maturity and proper input from the community that it is supposed to serve: Huge four and five storey buildings are proposed within Ravensbury Grove, destroying the village-like atmosphere. A doubling of density is proposed with 196 homes on ground that currently provides for 100 homes. Ravensbury Court proposals have removed grassed areas and community space, only to be replaced with intensive car parking. This is not a resident-led project.
In a few days, CHMP are set to unveil their final master plan for Ravensbury which lacks both integrity and qualitative input from the residents. Riding roughshod over residents seems part and parcel of CHMPs methods, but seeing it glean support from our elected councillors has left many with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Christopher Holt
Chair, Ravensbury Residents' Association
- Send your letters to: letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk
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