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The Eastfields Estate is situated in the Mitcham Eastfields area of the Borough and is located approximately 300m walking distance from Mitcham Eastfields Railway Station, which is on the Thameslink Sutton branch line. The site is accessed via Acacia Road to the northwest and Woodstock Way, via Clay Avenue, to the northeast. Clay Avenue also forms a vehicular route around the internal perimeter of the site. Access for vehicles around the internal perimeter of the site is broken along both the northern and southern sides of the site: on the southern part of the site by a gate for emergency vehicles which is sometimes open for through traffic.

The site comprises a continuous 3 storey flatted block of flats and houses that is located around the perimeter of the site, wrapping around a central open space. The site is self-contained and largely isolated from other residential areas, with other housing in the vicinity being to the west of the site along Hammond Avenue and flats along Clay Avenue to the east. St Mark’s Church of England Academy is to the north, along with a purpose built BMX track. To the south and east is the large Streatham Park Cemetery which includes the locally listed Crematorium. The Long Bolstead Recreation Ground is to the east adjacent to Clay Avenue. The cemetery has mature trees and shrubs and provides a pleasant outlook, although forms a barrier to movement to the south.

The Estate forms one of the three housing estates allocated for regeneration in the Estates Local Plan 2018.

History
Historically the site was located in semi-rural land to the north of Mitcham Common. The site remained undeveloped up until the 1870s when Pain’s Fireworks factory occupied the majority of the site.

Originally constructed in the late 1960s to early 1970s, ownership and management of the Estate was acquired by Circle Housing Merton Priory (CHMP), who are part of the wider Circle Housing Group, in 2010 as part of a Housing Stock Transfer Agreement (HSTA) containing all LBM’s council housing stock within Merton, totalling circa 9,500 units.

The Estate currently comprises 466 dwellings, comprising a mix of three storey town houses and flatted blocks. The site is laid out with residential blocks on the perimeter of the rectangular site and communal amenity space to the centre. The properties include a mix of tenures including private ownership (as a result of right to buy) and social rent.

The Estate
The Eastfields Estate was built in the 1970s. It is comprised of 466 homes with a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats and 3 bedroom houses. Almost half of the homes on the estate are privately owned.

The Estate area totals approximately 6.7 hectares. The Eastfields Estate is located towards the east of the London Borough of Merton (LBM), within the Figges Marsh ward. Broadly rectangular in shape, the Estate sits to the north west of Streatham Park Cemetery and is bounded by Acacia Road / Mulholland Close to the north west and Clay Avenue to the east, south and west. Mitcham Eastfields Railway Station is around 5 minutes walk to the west of the Estate. The Estate currently comprises 466 dwellings, comprising a mix of three storey town houses and flatted blocks. The site is laid out with residential blocks on the perimeter of the rectangular site and communal amenity space to the centre. The properties include a mix of tenures including private ownership (as a result of right to buy) and social rent. The Estate is in a predominantly residential area, where the scale of built development surrounding the site varies considerably. The exceptions to this are the two storey St Marks Academy and playing areas, located to the north of the site, and the Cemetery to the south. The built development to the west of the site is predominantly terraced and detached houses of two to three storeys. There are no non-residential land uses on the site at present.

Existing Condition of Stock
Clarion Housing Group have commissioned a number of independent technical surveys to assess the existing condition of the properties on the Eastfields Estate.

Structural Condition
Ellis and Moore Consulting Engineers Ltd produced a Structural Engineers Report (October 2010) to consider the condition of the existing stock at Eastfields Estate via a visual inspection of external elevations as well as an internal inspection of a selected number of properties. The report identifies two types of property within the Estate: three storey town houses and three storey blocks of flats. Both types were built using the Wimpey No Fines method in the late 1960’s which was a form of pre-fabricated construction replacing traditional brick or block walls and were then clad by pebble dash render. Generally, the properties appear to be in reasonable structural condition externally, excluding the points noted above and internally, there were no structural defects identified. Whilst the report concludes that the structure of the buildings would remain in a satisfactory condition for some time, the principle areas of concern are the longevity of the windows and the cladding of the properties.

Dwelling Condition
A Condition Survey Report has been prepared by Baily Garner to consider the condition of the existing stock. In preparing this report, Baily Garner surveyed 10 properties, including a mix of houses and flats. The report concludes that the buildings are generally in fair condition, however many are experiencing various problems including dampness, condensation, corrosion of cladding (as discussed above) and timber decay, with a number of internal and external building components nearing the end of their life expectancy, including roof repairs, remedial works to areas of water ingress, resealing around various cladding areas, window overhauls and asphalt repairs on balconies. Upgrade works, including new kitchen and bathrooms, and potentially boilers, are required for these buildings to meet Decent Home standards.

Compared to the new Nationally Described Space Standard, introduced by the DCLG on 27th March, and reflected within the draft GLA’s draft Housing Standards (Minor Alterations to the London Plan) (May 2015), this makes:


 * the existing 1 bedroom flats 3 sqm short of the 50 sqm requirement (for 1 storey 1b2p dwellings);
 * the existing 2 bedroom flats 1 sqm short of the 70 sqm requirement (for 1 storey 2b4p dwellings);
 * and the existing 3 bedroom houses 2 sqm short of the 99 sqm requirement (for 3 storey 3b5p dwellings).

In order to achieve a 10% internal inspection rate across all unit types, Baily Garner LLP undertook further internal surveys in late 2015for a number of units on Acacia Road, Clay Avenue, Moore Close, Mulholland Avenue, Pains Close, Potter Close and Thurpp Close. These surveys identified that 20% of kitchens and 38% of bathrooms were deemed old and in poor condition. 46% of electrical installations were both old and inadequate and a further 54% of the boilers contained within units were deemed old and at the end of their life. The general observation indicated that the condition of internal finishes were poor and there were extensive examples of damp and mould issues.

Energy Performance
An Energy and Sustainability Report for the Eastfields Estate was produced by MLM Consulting Engineers in November 2014. This report gives consideration to the current condition of the stock in terms of the energy performance of walls, roofing and glazing. In consideration of the walls, the report found that the external walls are dry lined internally and rendered externally with some properties having weather boarding in place. The current design achieves a U-value of 2.46 W/m2.K, which is a significant departure from the requirement for 0.30 W/m2.K within Building Regulation Part L1A and L1B 2013 for new build dwellings and refurbishments. The roofs, based on an assumed maximum of 50 mm insulation have a U-value of 0.68 W/m2.K, which is also a departure from Building Regulation Part L1A and L1B which require U-values of 0.2 W/m2.K for new build and 0.18 W/m2.K for refurbished dwellings. Examining the windows within the properties and based on historical data, the U-value is assumed to be 4.0 W/m2.K, which is a significant departure from the Building Regulations Part L1A which specifies a minimum value of 2.0 on new build properties.

Furthermore, a thermographic survey, undertaken in accordance with BRE Guidance, indicates significant thermal bridges, occurring on end walls, internal corners, communal entrances, windows and at floor slab levels.

The report concludes that the current condition of the properties places them significantly below the levels required to meet even Decent Homes Standards.

Regeneration
In Nov 2018, the Mayor approved the regeneration scheme of Merton’s Eastfields estate.

This proposed development comprises the demolition of all existing buildings on site, comprising 466 residential units (219 private and 247 affordable units). The regeneration proposals for the Eastfields Estate comprise the demolition of all existing buildings and the construction of up to 800 units including both flats and houses, up to 275 sqm of flexible non-residential floor space, associated landscaping, highways and public realm works. A series of buildings ranging from; 1 (Podium) to 9 storeys in height will be located in a grid pattern across the Estate. The proposal would provide a mix of flats and houses and varying heights through development zones. A central square will be formed by three taller (marker) buildings known as ‘The Sparks’ and this will be connected to the wider development through the publically accessible central linear park.

The scheme is being progressed in five phases over a 13-year period. The scheme is being progressed by Clarion Housing Association (formerly Circle/Affinity Sutton), which took over the Council’s housing estate under a 2010 stock transfer agreement. When Merton Council transferred its housing stock to Clarion, part of the transfer agreement was for Clarion to improve the quality of accommodation up to Decent Homes standard. The agreement required Clarion to bring the homes up to Decent Homes Standard by the end of 2015, but Clarion identified that the work required significant maintenance, refurbishment and financial investment to achieve the required standard and narrowed down their options to the most cost effective way of delivering longer term sustainable Decent Homes standards through regeneration which allows for the provision of new, well designed, energyefficient homes that will meet the needs of residents now and in the future. Accordingly, Clarion subsequently persuaded the Council to agree to waiver this requirement for two estates which it claimed would benefit from full redevelopment - High Path estate and the Eastfields estate, and partial redevelopment of the smaller Ravensbury estate.

Issues at Stake
In June 2021, the estate was in the news after an ITV investigation uncovered the apalling conditions that tenants were being made to endure in their homes.

A video of the estate showed collapsing ceilings, mould and rodents. In response, Clarion pointed to plans to regenerate the estate, but admitted that it had not achieved the right balance between short-term and long-term spending on an estate that had “come to the end of its life”.

The Regulator of Social Housing agreed to a waiver on the decent homes standard for Eastfield Estates in 2014, meaning that old kitchens and bathrooms in poor condition did not have to be replaced.

A 2016 survey found around half of kitchens and bathrooms were in poor condition, and over half of boilers were at the end of their life. It also identified extensive damp and mould issues.

Circle Housing concluded it would be more cost-effective to rebuild rather than refurbish Eastfields.

However, the housing association said that increased construction costs and the worsening economic outlook mean that the project now has a financial deficit, and so work is behind schedule at Eastfields. The regeneration scheme has since been described as financially unviable, with Merton Council set to lose up to £72million.

Ongoing Issues
Merton Council formally backed the regeneration on September 6 2021, nine days before hearing the scheme is currently financially unviable. At a meeting on Wednesday (September 15) the council voted to forfeit £72million to allow construction to begin sooner.