Fatjona Kabashi
South Kiburn’s regeneration project: community improvement or displacement?
After the fire of Grenfell occurred in 2017 due to cladding issues, many residents have become concerned with the cladding of the new builds they live in. Lucie discovered issues concerning the cladding in the new builds and is now trying to raise awareness. When contacting the council, they responded by saying it was “ ‘low priority when it came for assessment or inspection due to its comparatively low height. She called for clarity on the safety of the materials used and questioned how such a grave issue could be pushed back” (Shaw, 2020). However, when speaking with Brent council, they stated “one or two buildings are needing quite a lot of remedial works and the changes post-Grenfell to what is considered safety probably impacted a fair bit. That’s kind of the main issue that’s arisen that we try to address all the time.” (Brent Council Members, 2021) This does not seem to be the case, as when residents tried to contact the council about this issue, they responded with it being a “low priority” (Shaw, 2020).
Resident, Jane, also living in Hollister House, complained about the safety of the balcony on the new blocks:
“There was an inspection around 2018, after Grenfell. They checked our balconies and found the bolts holding them in place were not screwed on properly, or they were completely missing. I live on the 4th floor, and I have young children, I was furious when I found this out.” (Jane, 2022)
Brent council praised their new balconies, stating:
“In the old blocks the balconies are very restrictive there’s not anything you can do, single access you can only lookup. Our ones have double minimum, so you can see different sides at one time.” (Brent Council Members, 2021)
While their balconies have multiple access now, their quality decreased. Jane furthered her point:
“At one point, the wind blew off the door of my balcony and the glass panel was completely smashed through, and it was double-glazed.” (Jane, 2022)
Claims Brent Council made to improve housing quality for the residents are untrustworthy.
While some previous council residents have been moved into the new blocks alongside new middle-class residents to create a mixed tenure community, divisions between them exist. When discussing this topic Jane mentioned parking:
“The main parking space that we were allocated does not have any barriers and it’s open, but the private spaces have a barrier blocking it off, so they are secluded. It purposely separates us.” (Jane, 2022)
While the council claimed they want to create a better environment for the residents and improve the community by creating a mixed tenure residency, they implemented facilities with better quality for those in a private residency, further dividing the residents based on their housing type and status. Furthermore, the council often neglects complaints made by residents of social housing flats, and either takes too long to respond or ignores them.
Excerpt from Chapter 3.
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Shaw, A., 2020. Housing woes continue for residents living on South Kilburn’s regeneration site. [online] Kilburn Times. Available at: <https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/south-kilburn-residents-feel-stuck-3843222>.
Jane, 2022, Interview with Fatjona Kabashi, ‘South Kilburn Regeneration Project Interview’, 02/04/2022, London
Brent Council Members (2 Participants), 2021, Interview with Fatjona Kabashi, ‘South Kilburn Regeneration Project Interview’, 06/12/2021, London
After the fire of Grenfell occurred in 2017 due to cladding issues, many residents have become concerned with the cladding of the new builds they live in. Lucie discovered issues concerning the cladding in the new builds and is now trying to raise awareness. When contacting the council, they responded by saying it was “ ‘low priority when it came for assessment or inspection due to its comparatively low height. She called for clarity on the safety of the materials used and questioned how such a grave issue could be pushed back” (Shaw, 2020). However, when speaking with Brent council, they stated “one or two buildings are needing quite a lot of remedial works and the changes post-Grenfell to what is considered safety probably impacted a fair bit. That’s kind of the main issue that’s arisen that we try to address all the time.” (Brent Council Members, 2021) This does not seem to be the case, as when residents tried to contact the council about this issue, they responded with it being a “low priority” (Shaw, 2020).
Resident, Jane, also living in Hollister House, complained about the safety of the balcony on the new blocks:
“There was an inspection around 2018, after Grenfell. They checked our balconies and found the bolts holding them in place were not screwed on properly, or they were completely missing. I live on the 4th floor, and I have young children, I was furious when I found this out.” (Jane, 2022)
Brent council praised their new balconies, stating:
“In the old blocks the balconies are very restrictive there’s not anything you can do, single access you can only lookup. Our ones have double minimum, so you can see different sides at one time.” (Brent Council Members, 2021)
While their balconies have multiple access now, their quality decreased. Jane furthered her point:
“At one point, the wind blew off the door of my balcony and the glass panel was completely smashed through, and it was double-glazed.” (Jane, 2022)
Claims Brent Council made to improve housing quality for the residents are untrustworthy.
While some previous council residents have been moved into the new blocks alongside new middle-class residents to create a mixed tenure community, divisions between them exist. When discussing this topic Jane mentioned parking:
“The main parking space that we were allocated does not have any barriers and it’s open, but the private spaces have a barrier blocking it off, so they are secluded. It purposely separates us.” (Jane, 2022)
While the council claimed they want to create a better environment for the residents and improve the community by creating a mixed tenure residency, they implemented facilities with better quality for those in a private residency, further dividing the residents based on their housing type and status. Furthermore, the council often neglects complaints made by residents of social housing flats, and either takes too long to respond or ignores them.
Excerpt from Chapter 3.
-
Shaw, A., 2020. Housing woes continue for residents living on South Kilburn’s regeneration site. [online] Kilburn Times. Available at: <https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/south-kilburn-residents-feel-stuck-3843222>.
Jane, 2022, Interview with Fatjona Kabashi, ‘South Kilburn Regeneration Project Interview’, 02/04/2022, London
Brent Council Members (2 Participants), 2021, Interview with Fatjona Kabashi, ‘South Kilburn Regeneration Project Interview’, 06/12/2021, London
Picture of Austen House and a new build in South Kilburn Estate taken by Fatjona Kabashi