27 - 07 - 2023
Following six months of consultation by Croydon Council and BPTW, residents have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Regina Road Estate regeneration in May. The independent ballot managed by Civica Election Services achieved one of the highest affirmative votes in London with an 82% turnout, where 88% of eligible residents voted in favour of the proposal to demolish and rebuild homes on the Regina Road estate.
The Regina Road Estate (Credit: Croydon Council)
The Regina Road Estate Regeneration concerns three 11-storey residential tower blocks and a collection of low-rise apartment buildings in South Norwood. The homes were constructed in the 1960s using a formerly innovative panel system and now suffer from water penetration, condensation, and mould, creating poor conditions for many residents. Despite repairs and improvement works, many of the issues persevere.
After years of worries about the condition of the homes on the estate, resident engagement sessions enabled residents to share their views with the support of Public Voice, an independent tenant and leaseholder advisor appointed by residents. Collectively, we ran six engagement sessions online and face-to-face, including drop-in sessions, door-to-door visits, and an online survey.
BPTW collaborated with the Residents Steering Group in four workshops to co-create plans for what a rebuild option could look like, compared with refurbishment. Together, we brainstormed ideas for different housing types, green spaces and play facilities.
The consultation process fostered a sense of trust and achieved an overwhelming mandate for change alongside positive momentum for the project’s future. Residents voted on whether to refurbish or rebuild their homes and on the ‘Draft Tenant Offer’ and the ‘Draft Leasehold and Freehold Offer’. Both offer documents established the entitlements of tenants, leaseholders and freeholders with the option to demolish and rebuilt their homes on the estate.
Robin Smith, Housing Projects Advisor at Croydon Council, said about the project, “We had an outstanding ballot result. Thank you to BPTW for its major contribution towards achieving this. All the good design engagement to build trust and confidence paid off.”
BPTW Partner and project lead, Neill Campbell, said,
“Our engagement with the residents at Regina Road has been extremely encouraging. Their motivation for positive change has been a driving force behind the project’s success to date. By listening to them, we will continue shaping the development plans to achieve their aspirations and have built a strong rapport that will help us realise the best future for Regina Road.”