Re: Private Developer Brought in to Friary Park Project
The www.actonw3.com story of 18 January 2019 about Catalyst Housing Goup's new partnership with Mount Anvil, developer of luxury apartments for foriegn investors, contains many crucial errors in its attempt to publiise a CHG blog of 9 January 2019. First, as CHG has never had any sort of discussion with their tenants whom they portray as all being illiterate, Black benefit claimants, this announcement comes as yet another surprise. The repeated claims by the Acton3 editor that there has been consultation are completely false. When the Homes and Communities Agency finally stopped CHG from selling off social housing to its own managers in 2017 the Acton3 editor refused to report that to people in Acton.Since 2012 CHG has been a Community Benefit Society and the Asset-Owning parent of a group that includes 9 unregistered subsidiaries all claiming the same tax exempt status of Catalyst Housing Trust and using Ealing Gateway, 26-30 Uxbridge Road, London W5 2AU as their business address. CHG is in the business of selling houses in London and the South East through their unique Equity Loans. CHG and its subsidiaries employ 729 people with a turnover for the year to 31 March 2016 of £227 million. The CHG annual accounts show a £53 million profit but uses the term “surplus” to maximise tax avoidance on huge income from its equity loans, sales and private renting. The CHG website www.chg.org.uk actually boasts that social rent is a rapidly declining proportion of its income.Second the original 2014 plan was to demolish all the family homes on the Friary Park estate to build a 29 storey tower block. It was opposed by local home owners shocked that CHG wanted to allow illiterate, Black benefit claimants to look into their gardens. Tory leader Marie Lowe set up the Friars Green Residents Association which now only functions to support Sadiq Khan's Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corportation and make money from Ealing Council for Ms Lowe. CHG went to great lengths and expense to assure local property owners like Ealing Council Labour leader Julian Bell that the new flats would be put on sale for £450,000 and the project would not adversely affect local property values. This plan however was illegal because of the 2014 Supreme Court ruling R. (Moseley) v Haringey LBC [2014] 1 W.L.R. 3947 that requires CHG to get the majority of tenants to agree to be moved after meaning consultation. Third the latest proposal, like the orgnal demolition plan, was announced by CHG without consulting the residents of the Friay Park estate or even the planning department of London Borouh of Ealing, claims it will reprovision 225 homes for social rent alongside new shared ownership homes, even delivering 50% affordable housing by what are described as 'habitable rooms', resulting in 930 mixed-tenure homes. This 4 fold increase in dwellings is to be achived by building what are known as "Dog boxes" designed by Anne Markey of Phelan Architects and member of the CHG board. It would mean that some on the same estate would pay the £124 per week social rent while others would pay £375 per week for a shared ownership flat in which the buyer only gets a 25% equity. On the other hand 'an improved community facility' would be simple to achieve as all CHG tenants are excluded from the community centre which is currently used as offices for CHG staff.Finally Ian McDermott is the latest in a long line of dishonest and grossly incompetent CHG managers. He might be unaware that in 2017 the Environmental Law Foundation obtained the Planning Contravention Notice which forced CHG to close the illegal garage it operated on the estate with a dozen lorries causng noise and pollution every day of the week. Maybe he is so new he is unaware that CHG stopped repairs on the estate and have taken elderly and disabled tenants to court for sums less than they were due in Housing Benefit in a despicable attempt to gain possession. This discrimination is supported by Labour leader Julian Bell and Dr Rupa Huq the local MP who want elderly and disabled people moved, claiming they cost Ealing Council too much. The Labour Party supports CHG because they can claim they have provided a “new home” each time a disabled and elderly person is forced out of London and a shared ownership client moves in. It is also beyond qesion that CHG need help with design and construction experience as they have conspicuously failed to provide good quality, affordable homes as is clearly demonstated by their 132 rat infested shared ownership properies in South Acton purchased through a £70 mllion loan arranged by Labour run Ealing Council. It is unclear if Mr MDermott was in charge in June 2018 when CHG made false claims that Laing’s had insulated all the blocks on the Friary Park estate with asbestos when it was built in 1988. CHG, which has traded under several names over the last 30 years, had promised the estate would be properly insulated because it never was originally. A few weeks later CHG targeted elderly and disabled tenants telling them they were being moved and if they failed to take the offer they would be forcibly evicted. Then in November 2018 CHG painted arrows and numbers on the roads and pavements on the estate, pinpointing drains and underground infrastructure and telling tenants the water and electricity was be cut off during repairs to damage caused by the CH lorries but clearly this was just another stage in CHG's Project Fear. It is yet to be ascertained if Killian Hurley of Mount Anvil is also a member of Sinn Fein, an important issue becuase as far from delivering better homes for Friary Park residents, CHG has directly employed Irish Nationalist thugs who tried to force elderly and disabled residents from their homes.For 30 years the Friary Park estate has been a thriving neighbourhood, a coherent community that CHG now wants to rip apart and cause serious financial problems for the families. The curent plan will allow the Labour Party to lie about providng new homes, which is why they arranged a £30 million loan that no bank would give CHG. The truth is the latest proposals would drastically increase demand on transport, health and education services in Acton by increasing the current population on the site from 340 to around 2,000 and only benefit the CHG board members and their business partners at the taxpayers’ expense.
Martin Cain ● 2840d8 Comments ● 2827d