CAMPAIGNERS TURNED OUT in force on Friday morning, 12th April, to draw attention to Peabody’s plans to sell off 17 Robinson Road. It was the housing association’s second attempt to auction the property to the highest bidder.
Peabody Housing Association is named in honour of George Peabody, a philanthropist who funded social housing in the 19th century – starting in East London. Today, Peabody Housing Association claims it is continuing that tradition – which makes its current activities all the more curious.
Peabody recently acquired new properties in East London when it snapped up properties near Victoria Park from the Crown Estates – social homes, many of which had longstanding tenants who could only afford the reasonable rents charged for these homes. At the time, with residents concerned about whether their rents would increase, Peabody Chief Executive Stephen Howlett promised, “We are absolutely committed to keeping these properties affordable.” Then the trouble started.
Peabody began trying to sell properties off, in a manner and at a price which made it almost inevitable that the homes would be bought up by private landlords. The move has angered housing activists who point out that the supply of homes for private renting is hugely over-supplied, while the 20,000 on the Tower Hamlets housing waiting list see the local supply of social housing shrinking all the time.
Phillip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney, opposed the sale of Peabody homes on Hackney’s southern border with Tower Hamlets, and Peabody stopped the sale. Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs wrote to Peabody when they first tried to sell 17 Robinson Road: initially the housing association withdrew the property from the market, but now it has returned. Peabody are planning to sell the property by private auction on 16th April, with a reserve price of £650,000 – 22 times the median income of Tower Hamlets residents! The property has been empty for ten months while Peabody has been planning for the sale.
Campaigners are calling on Tower Hamlets Executive Mayor John Biggs to oppose this second sale. They are also asking residents to contact Lord Bob Kerslake, Chair of the Peabody Housing Association, and Brendan Sarsfield, Peabody Chief Executive, to protest at the selling.
•Protest to: Lord Bob Kerslake: kerslakeb@parliament.uk Brendan Sarsfield: brendan.sarsfield@peabody.org.uk
•Read more about Peabody’s dodgy doings in East London from our archive: Peabody: a lost opportunity Peabody: ready to backtrack under pressure? Peabody destroys Jewish cultural heritage in Tower Hamlets MPs discuss the future of the historic environment