Consultation & Events

Winning support for the regeneration programme from Heygate residents is vital, and an extensive communications programme, including consultation, opinion testing, public events and exhibitions, ensures that residents are kept up to date with the plans.

The Heygate Tenants and Residents Association (HTRA) has regular input and helps the council to make decisions as the plans progress. Council officers meet with the Heygate TRA once a month.

The Heygate Stakeholder Forum is a broad and flexible vehicle to garner opinion from a wide range of Heygate residents and involve them in various aspects of the project. The forum is split into two groups:

Design forum: residents nominate themselves to help select architects for the first the rehousing sites and work on the project teams that will progress the scheme designs into planning applications
Management approach: this group involved residents in considering issues such as future rent levels, right to acquire, resident involvement and community management

Regular exhibitions and events invite all Heygate residents to give their feedback on progress and planning, while a specialist rehousing team is carrying out one-to-one consultation sessions with tenants. Members of the regeneration and housing team attend the Heygate TRA annual general meeting, and a full programme of visits to the first new housing site at Wansey Street was organised. All this activity is supplemented with regular mailings, the quarterly Heygate News publication, notice boards and a special Heygate rehousing pack.

Heygate replacement housing sites
The council has identified 16 sites for new homes for Heygate residents in a range of locations around Elephant and Castle. More information is contained below:

Wansey Street
A demonstration housing scheme in Wansey Street SE17, adjacent to the Heygate, has been completed. 12 families from the Heygate Estate are now living in the 31-unit scheme. Designed by award winning architects de Rijke Marsh Morgan and managed by Southern Housing Group, the site was completed ahead of the main programme to show Heygate residents the high quality the council is demanding for all replacement homes.

Heygate Events
The Elephant and Castle team have held a range of events on the Heygate Estate over the last three years including:

Wansey Street Exhibition

Heygate residents and members of the press were invited to view the very first new housing scheme at Wansey Street SE17. Residents were impressed with the stunning new apartments designed by de Rijke Marsh Morgan that were built and will be managed by Southern Housing Group.

Heygate rehousing exhibition

More than 300 people turned out for an exhibition in March updating Heygate tenants on progress with the rehousing programme. Displays included the latest timetable and an audiovisual presentation, while experts were on hand to answer residents' questions.

Steedman Street viewing

Around 350 Heygate tenants came to view twelve one and two bedroom flats in Steedman Street SE1. The flats are available due to the requirement on developers to provide affordable housing within private residential schemes, in this case the adjoining Oakmayne ‘South Central’ development.

Heygate fun day

In 2005, around 200 Heygate Estate residents enjoyed a fun-day organised by Southwark Council. Entertainment included face painting, a roving clown, circus school, band, jugglers and a giant inflatable jungle. Southwark Council officers were at the event to discuss the rehousing process with Heygate residents.