Grahame Park Estate – Collindale

Background

Grahame Park is Barnet’s largest housing estate with 1,777 homes built by the GLC in the 1970s. Although the estate is popular with many early residents, problems arose due to the concentration of low income and disadvantaged people and its isolated feeling from the surrounding community.

The regeneration proposal aims to create a vibrant new community with major infrastructure improvements as well as improved transport links and facilities.

Genesis is working with the council and the community to develop and implement the regeneration proposals. The rebuilding programme is planned over the next 15-18 years providing 3000 new homes. The regeneration proposals were offered to residents in 2003 and there was a strong vote of support with 79% voting in favour. The regeneration is being implemented on a phase by phase basis meaning that there will be stages where dwellings will be vacant. As residents move out it has been proposed that Camelot Guardians will move in, thus protecting the property until the point of demolition.

With the first phase of substantial demolition (208 properties) there had been problems on the site with criminal gangs breaking in to properties, vandalising the surrounding areas and stealing copper pipes. Boarding had been used as a preventative measure. However, this was inefficient and led to the client searching for an alternative. Camelot was requested to come up with a dynamic security solution that implemented the innovative Live-in Guardian scheme offering effective protection as well as the opportunity for empty property to be utilised as temporary, affordable housing.

The ideal scenario for Genesis was for the empty blocks to be demolished as soon as possible. However, vacant possession required 3 main strands of activity:

• Secure Council Tenants to be decanted into their new homes being built by Genesis as part of the regeneration programme
• The full implementation of the Compulsory Purchase Order by Barnet Council
• New lettings to be made for non-secure tenants who were not being decanted into the new housing

What was quickly apparent was the risk of existing residents who lived in the homes due for demolition could become isolated and vulnerable as people moved out, as well as the problems of vandalism. Therefore, in order to effectively manage the risk of blight, vandalism, the living environment of residents and neighbours Genesis used Camelot to deliver the Live-in Guardian scheme to provide a flexible solution to the problems faced.
 

Project

Camelot took on the Grahame Park project in September 2010 as the first major phase of demolition was being prepared for. Camelot's role is to act as the security contractor and advisor within the decant project. Camelot have successfully achieved the first phase of the decant working on six residential blocks of flats where voids have been protected through occupation with Live-in Guardians.

This project seeks to provide an effective security solution whilst offering people a home that is low cost and would otherwise be wasted space. People have been given homes for up to 12 months while at the same time managing the security problems being faced.

All remedial internal maintenance works were coordinated directly by Camelot's team. This involved professional locksmiths, electricians carrying out electrical safety works, plumbers working on the District Heating System (DHS), glazers replacing broken windows, and our handymen repairing any remedial issues such as broken banisters.

Due to the amount of gang related activity and vandals in the area many of the perimeter flats were already boarded up with metal screens by an external contractor working directly with the clients. However, these proved to be less effective for securing the premises than our Live-in Guardian solution. Deborah Hiller, Senior Project Manager at Genesis Housing Association stated: “Vandals still broke in and stole copper pipe work from live water systems which caused serious flooding. At one point this caused the DHS to fail so badly neighbouring businesses and a school had to close with demands for compensation”. During our initial work with one of the blocks, one of our Interns discovered a boarded up flat being broken into. The police were called, a chase ensued, and the perpetrator is now in jail. One of the challenges Camelot faced was to coordinate closely with the metal screen company to ensure that as our Guardians moved in the screens were removed. Once we agreed upon procedures this was a smooth transition.

Camelot also arranged for SIA security dog handlers to patrol the vulnerable parts of the site every night due to the amount of unwanted activity in the area. Over time, as our Guardians moved in, the amount of reported activity began to fall and has continued to do so as more properties become occupied. By having our own contractors on hand to deal with all immediate maintenance to bring the flats up to habitable condition and then on hand to deal with all reactive maintenance issues such as failed hot water, Camelot has managed to maintain the appropriate levels of health and safety service to our Live-in Guardians on site. Now we have a sizable Guardian population on site constituting a secure neighbourhood. The few secure tenants still in the flats feel safe with the Guardians in occupation.

Camelot have so far managed 70 flats on the Grahame Park Estate currently housing over 100 Guardians. The total number of dwellings in the process will be 1,100 with an estimated 35% of the dwellings having one Guardian. Barnet Council has intimated that a further three similar sized estate regeneration projects may be put under Camelot's management in the near future.
 

Impact

The Camelot solution has had a positive effect on the environment and community surrounding the Grahame Park estate. The local police have been involved with this project and have noticed the increase in safety and security at the site. Their call outs to site have been reduced and they are now better focused on specific incidents that our Guardians and dog handlers report to them. This allows them to plan to reduce the causes of crime on the estate rather than reacting to every incident of crime.

Camelot have been involved with the local community meetings which include the councillors, local resident committees, demolition contractors, architects, new homes builders, and even the vicar of the local church. Camelot has been received warmly by all as a viable solution to the decant security problem.

Stuart Woolgar, Camelot Project Manager commented “When I first visited the site it was a ghost town. There was a sense of fear felt by the existing residents still living there. As our contractors were fitting out the voids, vandals were breaking into properties on the other side of the estate. The first Guardians who moved in were scared to begin with but after we implemented a hybrid solution of using guard dogs and Guardians we filled the properties more efficiently. The last time I visited there was a good sense of community and it no longer feels like a ghost town”.

For each phase going forward Genesis now has the option of using Camelot to make safe and habitable each of the next phase of flats due for demolition and place Live-in Guardians in situ, allowing Genesis to focus on redevelopment plans rather than reacting to the continual crime and vandalism issues that were occurring before the Camelot solution was implemented.

Luke Riley, Project Director, Genesis Housing Association adds: “Rather than just protecting empty homes, Camelot were employed as part of a Genesis planned regeneration strategy. This was a strategy to protect property prior to demolition rather than an alternative housing project, and one of the most important lessons of the project was to get that message across at a human level. The security and safety of the properties and remaining residents was the key concern and how to manage that in a way that all the residents and organisations understood.”

Victoria, a Guardian for Camelot since early 2011 describes her flat at Grahame Park as: “a clean, secure environment where it feels safe. The neighbours are very friendly and I can really see this becoming a home for me”. In terms of her experiences with Camelot so far, Victoria states: “ The services provided by Camelot are very helpful and quick”.

Camelot are continuing to see growth meaning that the rate of properties handed back is lower than the rate of properties taken under management. This means that on nearly all occasions Camelot can re- house Guardians creating a unique and sustainable living solution with some living for Camelot for over 8 years. At Grahame Park it is envisaged that Live-in Guardians will be used to bridge the gap 3-18 month gap between vacant possession and the actual start of demolition.
 

Lessons Learned

The Grahame Park project has been a learning curve for all involved. Without Camelot‟s advice in the early stages, to put in place very robust security measures with a view to putting a halt to ongoing attacks, the vacant estate could have started to slide out of control.

Upon reflection the process could be made smoother if some simple rules were adhered too. Firstly, an on-going arrangement for the client to deploy rapid temporary screening of all vulnerable points of entry as soon as they have being vacated by tenants and to have an equally rapid removal of screening when Guardians have occupied.

Secondly, the ability for the client to understand that Camelot‟s Guardians are not simply replacement tenants but part of an ongoing security operation. Providing a security solution that is vastly different in comparison to traditional security methods can be hard to grasp. It is an innovative solution to a persistent problem.

A key lesson learnt was the importance of timing and implementation of the Live-in Guardian solution. Camelot arranged for maintenance works to be carried out to re-commission the voids to be habitable by our Live-in Guardians. This was a necessary, timely exercise because of the paramount importance of health and safety for our Guardians and protection of the flats for our clients.

Due to the amount of time some of the void flats lay empty, bringing them back to a habitable standard was a logistical challenge. With tight planning the next phase should run smoothly with Guardians being placed in the void flats as soon as they become empty.

The task of finding a large quantity of Guardians to fill the flats as they became vacant was time consuming and high pressure. Site and Guardian Manager, Adam Smith, of Camelot Property, carefully interviewed and vetted each Guardian before signing over the keys to the flats ready for occupation. With a high level of dedication and support from the other members of the project team this was achieved in a timely manner meaning that Guardians were housed efficiently and the property protected to a high standard.

Adam Smith commented “The first time that I was on site a drug deal was taking place and I was threatened. Since our Guardians have been in occupation there have been no serious issues on site. The Guardians spent time, effort and money to make their accommodation nice and habitable. They now move with us as each flat is ready for demolition. The solution works for them, for our client and for Camelot”.

The project highlights the benefit of using a protection by occupation service during periods of vacancy particularly in regeneration developments as it considers the use of empty homes on a sustainable level. The estate required redevelopments, however, using a traditional security method would have been inefficient as highlighted in the early stages of the project. It would also mean that the 100 Guardians we housed and the remaining flats yet to be occupied would not be utilised as an affordable housing solution.
 

Reference

Genesis

Choices For Grahame Park

17 The Concourse

Colindale London NW9 5XA

Deborah Hiller – Senior Project Manager deborah.hiller@ghg.org.uk

020 8359 2902


Luke Riley – Project Director luke.riley@ghg.org.uk

020 8359 2928

Relevant Websites
http://www.barnet.gov.uk/regeneration-grahame-park
www.barnet.gov.uk/regeneration-grahame-park
www.camelotproperty.com