Tanners Hill Tenants Residents Association

Committee Members

Barry Still (BS) – Chair/Block Rep Heston House (tenant)

Gillian Lewis (GL) – Secretary/Block Rep Deloraine House (Leaseholder -LH)

Naomi Groves (NG)– Vice Chair/Resident Engagement Panel Rep (LH)

Nuala Walsh (NW) – Block Rep Heston House (LH)

Lewisham Homes

Elaine Wright – Housing Officer

Tenants and Residents

Deloraine House: Jake,

Heston House:

Pitman House: Annette Cordwell

Tanners Hill:

Florence Terrace:

Mahoney House:

Partners & Others

Cllrs: Stephen Penfold

Apologies

Florence Terrace – Colin Connell (CC)– Treasurer/ Block Rep Florence Terrace (tenant), Vicky Yeardley –

Deloraine House – Gordon, Robert Ridyard,

Tanners Hill – Shannon Clark

Lewisham Tenants Fund – Joy, Gloria

Cllr Jimi Adefirenye, Cllr Sophie, Stephen Penfold

Agenda Item

1. Welcome, intro – ductions, apologies

2. Agreed minutes

3. Matters arising

ACTION

ACTION BS

ACTION GL

ACTION GL amend minutes

Venue – Cllr Penfold inspected 2^nd floor drying room yesterday (Mon 20/5), ascertained that it is not being rented and used as a photographic studio as was stated by L Homes. He is progressing clearance & permission from L Homes for TRA to use it for committee meetings and storage.

Bike Racks – Barry: more residents would like a space in a rack, continuing to deal with H2/Asguard (private Co’s who manage the rental of bike racks), and Josh Learner (LBLewisham) who is dealing with funding for racks, but no answer yet as to whether racks are full, or clarity re funding.

Green Services – estate inspection last Week, see mins below

Parking – yellow box outside Heston garden gate – scheduled to be painted in Jan, finally painted in April

Funding – good response to door knocking, a family in Pitman House have offered to canvas residents there, will probably need to do more door stepping to further increase responses.

Contact Maggie Sheridan to support TRA in approaching Contractor (storiing containers on estate by Heald St) for a donation/contribution towards plans for outdoor improvements on estate

Repairs: Correction – Naomi had raised that there is a problem with her window frames, meaning that the windows don’t close or lock (T Hill Maisonettes).

4. Reports on Estate Inspections

ACTION: GL talk to residents re locking of gates

ACTION Matt Gill

Luke agreed to:

• remove sycamore saplings in Omega evens – Colin to id with ribbon
• remove/trim climbers in Omega Odds
• wild flower seeding of grass between Pitman and Heston Car Park
• loan of hedge trimmer for Heston Garden

Green Services, as previously agreed, have already:

• improved rose beds in Omega Odds
• tidied up raised brick beds in Heald St
• seeded grass area at the end of Florence terr by railway wall

the TRA committee pointed out that pesticide had been used on Flor terr although the block rep had requested that it not be sprayed.

Also, in the new bed at the back of Pitman (that had never been asked for by TRA) residents had to rescue and replant plants that had been pulled up by children who play out but are never supervised by adults.

It was noted that the area around the Heald St flats (originally designated for older or vulnerable residents), is a wasted opportunity but given that it is part of a secure area with a door entry system it is hard to see how it could be used.

Discussion followed re opening of Deloraine garden – several years ago L Homes sent a letter to residents asking if they wanted the garden to remain open, the garden has been locked since then.

GL pointed out that there are problems when it is open eg ball games have resulted in living room window cracked from side to side, people from off the estate were using it as a dog exercise and toilet area, and there was quite a bit of noise and litter especially on summer evenings.

Residents asked if it was possible to find out how many want it open and whether there could be reasonable opening times agreed. There would also need to be a plan re who opens and closes the gates eg could caretakers open it in the morning, if there were residents prepared to share the responsibility of locking at a reasonable times at the end of the day.

2) Estate inspection with Grace Reid (Estate Supervisor) and Matt Gill (Repairs Supervisor) onMon 20/5. Grace informed us she is leaving this post in June, for another dept in L Homes, but will pass on the details of this inspection to her successor.

• padlocks installed on Bin cupboards in Flor Terr, Heston and Deloraine, all agreed the job was poorly done

• rebuilding of gate post on Tanners Hill side of Heston

• Lumber cage gates in Pearsons ave which has been pointed out on several inspections now – Matt was aware of this issue: “repair in hand”

• Leaking drain pipe in Heston, first floor by no32

• Condensation/damp in several flats – Matt stated that any damp above 1.2m is officially condensation. Discussion re residents blocking air vents, heating without ventilating, but also acknowledged that windows in Deloraine/Heston are v hard to open & handles are broken on many, plus many residents say damp is worse since Decent Homes

• many items of failing Decent Homes (DH) work was pointed out

We informed Matt that Mark Agnew (Dir Housing during DH), had told us on a walkabout “we (L Homes) don’t do maintenance, we wait for something to go wrong then repair”. Matt said that L Homes do maintain and he is not aware of any plans to run down blocks on estate with a view to demolishing & rebuilding

EW: Corporate plans are on L Homes web site

DECENT HOMES -we have re-sent an invitation to Cllr Paul Bell to provide an update at the AGM on 11/7. Cllr Bell is also on the Board of L Homes and is the only Cllr at this point who was involved for the duration of DH Works.

5. Resident’s concerns

6. AOB

Jake: large crack in brickwork by 47 Heston

BS: this was picked up during DH and filled but cement fell out, as has done in other places in Heston. It isn’t structural but Heston is an old building

DAMP: 58 Heston reported twice – first time they (repairs) washed the wall, 2^nd time they said it was because we weren’t using an extractor but we have our windows open all the time!

COLD: Deloraine – since metal gates removed we have a cold draft in the bedroom that faces the balcony, especially in the winter. BS: it may have exposed the air vent when gate post was removed.

BS: as Matt Gill (L Homes Repairs Supervisor) stated damp can’t rise higher than 1.2m from the ground, so it’s deemed to be condensation. L Homes are now looking at air flow in homes to try to remedy the problems

FRONT DOOR: 80 Heston – during DH the front door had been scheduled to be installed, it was prepped and measured and they gave me the docs. 79 door was installed. I then bought my flat and the door was never installed.

Also, I had my broken window repaired but since then the replacement has broken, I asked again, but L Homes said ‘No’.

BS: windows in Heston & Deloraine are due to be replaced, no date as yet

ASB: Pitman – problems outside my door on landing ie homeless person (he says he’s not an addict). My child found a syringe & picked it up. The Police says it’s a homeless person. I’ve also called the Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) bt they don’t come.

EW: L Homes is powerless to remove so can’t take action, if they knock on your door call 999, it’s the Police who can take action. Get a Crime Ref no, then call L Homes or submit the online form and we can liaise with the police.

Report homelessness via ‘streetlink’, they can offer shelter.

Trespass is only when they enter your property.

All agreed that the Pitman door entry system isn’t working – residents asked if L Homes could send letters to Pitman residents telling them not to let people in, but the generic fob can be bought in the High St – non generic fobs make it harder as they can’t be duplicated.

EW: L Homes were looking at reinstating CCTV. The Police can request the CCTV footage but they haven’t. Even with CCTV, when the Police remove people, they come back.

Brockley Assembly Newsletter doesn’t seem to be delivered to T Hill estate – please let us know if you receive it. Lewisham Mayor has been invited to attend the next meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 25 June at Leander Centre, Ship St.

Lewisham Homes Garden Party is scheduled for 31 August.

Meeting closed 8.30pm