Huge redevelopment of Southampton estates 'could be 30 years away'

Opposition councillors have accused Labour of “missing an opportunity” to create thousands of new homes in Thornhill, Weston and Northam over the next decade.

They claim funds that could have gone to overhauling the estates have instead been diverted towards the Townill Park estate regeneration plans.

But Labour housing boss Warwick Payne says the Tories’ plan was nothing more than a “vague commitment” and adds the three estates are “candidates” for major work in the future, although he could not give a firm timetable.

It is the latest round in a bitter battle of words between Cllr Payne and his Tory opponents, who have called for his resignation over his handling of the city’s estate regeneration plans.

It comes as residents in Southampton’s Townhill Park called for civic chiefs to “pull their finger out” and get on with the £100m plans to regenerate their estate.

Cllr Payne told the Echo the Townhill Park plan is “moving pretty quickly” in comparison to private schemes of a similar size, saying detailed plans had to be drawn up as they were not done under his Tory predecessors.

He says a planning application will go in next month and construction work could start either next year or in 2017.

Conservative group leader Jeremy Moulton, who said the plans had to be “refined before going out to planning and then to tender” in 2012 with construction work intended to start last year, says Cllr Payne has actually caused the delays in the project by “chopping and changing” the way it will be funded.

The Tories had intended the “majority” of funding to come from housing associations which would manage most properties, saying that would have left them £10-15m for work on each of the other estates earmarked for work.

Labour has changed the way it was funded, saying it wanted the council to directly finance more of the project and own the properties itself and therefore raise more money through rent, before announcing earlier this year that it would set up a private development company venture which could lever in borrowing.

There is currently £62m set aside for work at Townhill Park, which will see 675 new homes created and a new parade of shops.

But the Tories say they fear the funding changes mean there is now little money left to replace thousands of council properties in Northam, Weston and Thornhill, which they had intended to do within the next decade, parallel to work at Townhill Park, and Millbrook and Maybush.

Group leader Jeremy Moulton says he fears it will be “two or three decades” before any work takes place at Weston, Northam and Thornhill.

He said: “There is a huge opportunity, we have 18,000 council properties in Southampton. That gives us an opportunity for a full-scale transformational change.

“There are small schemes happening, such as energy efficiency, cladding or district heating, but there is the opportunity for wholescale redevelopment, creating several thousand new homes.

“We’re talking about 20 to 30 years I think, and that’s the problem. People may be stuck living in flats that are past their lifespan.”

Warwick Payne said: “When we took office in 2012 there had not been a scrap of work done on regeneration in Weston, Thornhill and Northam other than a vague commitment, nor on the Millbrook scheme that we are working on.

“I have put in train work in Millbrook and after that work Weston, Thornhill and Northam will be the most likely candidates for that work.

“The Tories are showing some cheek to say they left plans for work there.“We don’t have a firm date for work at Weston, Thornhill and Northam, so there has been no change from when the Tories were in charge.”

He said there is likely to be up to £130million available to be spent on projects in the 30-year programme of the housing and revenue account – which is the expected income from housing rents.

Cllr Payne added: “Our schedule is to do Townhill Park, then move on to Millbrook and then move on to other areas.”

He also pointed to a council report on the Tories’ regeneration plans in April 2012, which said that the financial model for Townhill Park “is not sustainable in the long term”.

Cllr Moulton said: "It is understandable that council officers at the time were keen to encourage an element of caution.

"Conservative plans for the redevelopment of the city's estates were the most radical for over 50 years.

"Ultimately, fully delivering on the rebuild of Townhill Park and delivering similarly ambitious schemes across the rest of the city is only affordable if housing association funding is levered in.

"From day one of a new Conservative council next May we will put this policy back on track and that is what council officers will be working to deliver."

Drawing up costed models and masterplans for our other estates will be an immediate priority. We are determined that Southampton prospers and our Estate Regeneration Programme is critical in ensuring that all parts of the city share in that increased prosperity.

There is no firm timetable for the Millbrook and Maybush estate proposals, which went out to initial consultation last year.

Cllr Payne said a “stakeholder group” of residents would take up to 18 months to look at each part of the potential scheme and report back on what was wanted, before detailed plans are drawn up.

Residents in Northam and Thornhill are also keen for work to rejuvenate their estates.

Angie Moody, 49, unemployed from the Northam Estate said: “We don’t want it in 20 to 30 years, we need it now.

"This area has become so run down and overtaken by cars and children playing football in dangerous areas.

A mother-of-two from the Thornhill Estate, who asked not to be named, said: “We definitely need the council to rejuvenate this area, they are giving so many housing estates these promises of new buildings and more room, more greenery for children to play on but they just never seem to pull through which is really disappointing but it’s out of our control.

And Jake Smith, 20, a student from the Thornhill Estate said: “I think as a younger person living in the area it would be great to see this area rejuvenated a bit, they’ve started in certain parts of the city and I think some people felt a bit left out." in a way so it would be great but again they aren’t thinking of it as an urgent issue so why should we be worrying, they will probably change their minds and it will all fall through, I don’t hold out much hope.”