Another dangerous and crumbling Greenwich borough estate

Over the past year this site has covered poor, and in some cases dangerous, conditions at numerous estates across Greenwich borough. Many, such as Abbey Wood, have seen income to improve go begging.

And so another area today. These photos of Congleton Road show more examples of neglect at Greenwich Council estates.

The pics show deep cracks in numerous places, and despite numerous notifications to the council dating back to 2016 and Glyndon councillor Peter Brooks being informed back in February, nothing appears to have been done.

When looking up the area on Google Streetview, it quite typically captured a council van parked on paving blocking it for wheelchairs and buggies:

This is far from the first instance of neglect at Greenwich borough estates and lack of action upon notification. Neglect has ranged from Barnfield to Glyndon, Abbey Wood to Greenwich. Many estate lookvery tired. Cuts alone cannot be blamed.

Greenwich Council do not often carry out the most basic maintenance in public areas (though there’s always money for the ever present wooden bollards).

Chronic poor management of estates and public spaces by Greenwich’s Housing Department predate cuts, and Greenwich Council is receiving vast sums in Section 106 income (£37m unspent with £172m due) alongside £12.2 million New Homes Bonus cash this year alone, and have received £66.2 million from that fund in six years.

As reported last week, Greenwich Council’s income from the New Homes Bonus exceeds the entire cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds and Bristol.

Those sources of income are used by many authorities to improve existing areas. In Greenwich, public spaces in estates are usually ignored.

Even last week when they announced investment in estates, barely any mention was made of external areas. It hardly ever is.

Basic work such as repairing walls just isn’t being done and street furniture chosen ugly and cheap. Next time you’re in an estate or passing have a look at the greenery, walls, street furniture etc. Much will be damaged and some dangerous.

This lack of care is happening alongside moves such as Greenwich Cabinet agreeing to sell off public land to developer Pocket Living (who will only build with a 20% profit margin) instead of using Meridian Homes to build social homes (who could build a greater number of homes as no need for that 20% margin), and so it again raises questions regarding just how they view those in estates and social housing.

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