§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will meet a deputation of tenants from Gloucester Grove estate in Southwark;
(2) if he will visit Gloucester Grove housing estate;
(3) if he will make a statement about the estates action programme improvement of the Gloucester Grove estate in Southwark;
(4) if he will make a statement about phase 7 improvements to Gloucester Grove housing estate in Southwark;
(5) how many of the blocks in the Gloucester Grove housing estate remain to be improved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungEstate action improvements have been in progress on the Gloucester Grove estate since 1986–87. The Government have already made available £8.6 million of resources and have earmarked a further £8.85 million for phases 5 and 6 which are currently on site. These phases will be completed in 1996–97 and will complete the improvement of 10 blocks in total.
The London borough of Southwark submitted a bid for a further eight blocks to be included in the 1994–95 estate action programme. Competition for resources was extremely tight, with 47 bids for support in London alone, and it was not possible to support that bid this year.
At the end of phase 6, 19 blocks will remain unimproved. Future proposals for these blocks will form part of Southwark's proposed strategy for five council estates in the Peckham area. I hope that the proposed partnership between the borough, the private sector and housing associations will produce some imaginative proposals for improvements and a mixture of tenures on Gloucester Grove and the other estates.
I have visited Southwark estates on a number of occasions in recent years and spoke to tenants from Gloucester Grove at Southwark's housing investment programme presentation in October 1992. Efforts are now best directed towards drawing up realistic proposals within Southwark's strategy for the area.