London School of Economics (LSE) have conducted a research report with the residents of LWE to find out their views on the refurbishment so far.
Professor Anne Power, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at LSE stated: "We interviewed 50 residents, from across all blocks on the estate, about their views on where they live, the work of the neighbourhood-based team, and the plans for extensive upgrading and retrofitting work.
Our findings to date are in three parts, with three main outcomes:
• Firstly, residents overwhelmingly like where they live, and find it a “friendly and neighbourly place” • Secondly, they value the work of the neighbourhood-based team in maintaining and improving conditions of their homes and blocks • Thirdly, they strongly support the plans for upgrading the estate, but are anxious for the work to get underway.
Professor Anne Power, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at LSE stated: "We interviewed 50 residents, from across all blocks on the estate, about their views on where they live, the work of the neighbourhood-based team, and the plans for extensive upgrading and retrofitting work.
Our findings to date are in three parts, with three main outcomes:
• Firstly, residents overwhelmingly like where they live, and find it a “friendly and neighbourly place” • Secondly, they value the work of the neighbourhood-based team in maintaining and improving conditions of their homes and blocks • Thirdly, they strongly support the plans for upgrading the estate, but are anxious for the work to get underway.
Executive summary
Cllr Sof McVeigh, Lead Member for Housing Management, Housing Safety, and Building New Homes said “The work we are doing with residents at Lancaster West is a key objective for Grenfell recovery, and sets the bar for how we want to work with residents across Kensington and Chelsea. With over half of tenants’ homes now internally refurbished to a co-designed standard, it’s good to see that the majority of residents support the work we are doing, and equally as important the way we are doing it – with residents at the heart. With that said we must not get complacent and will continue to actively listen to those whose support with have not yet secured. We are on a journey to become the best council for our residents. and still have a way to go to ensure we’re getting this right on every estate we manage.”
Some of the key findings of the report included:
• Around 70 per cent of residents felt that communication with the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team was positive • Around 70 per cent of residents felt positive about the refurbishment works • The majority of residents felt that they had been sufficiently consulted over the refurbishment and had an opportunity to provide feedback on any plans.
James Caspell, Neighbourhood Director of the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, said “The report by LSE provides an independent litmus test as to how we are working with residents in the way we said we would. This is a complex, multi-faceted deep retrofit, being delivered holistically at a scale not seen before in the UK. It’s really important that we maintain the support of residents throughout the process, and this report helps us understand what we have got right, but equally areas where we need to continue to improve”
• Around 70 per cent of residents felt that communication with the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team was positive • Around 70 per cent of residents felt positive about the refurbishment works • The majority of residents felt that they had been sufficiently consulted over the refurbishment and had an opportunity to provide feedback on any plans.
James Caspell, Neighbourhood Director of the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, said “The report by LSE provides an independent litmus test as to how we are working with residents in the way we said we would. This is a complex, multi-faceted deep retrofit, being delivered holistically at a scale not seen before in the UK. It’s really important that we maintain the support of residents throughout the process, and this report helps us understand what we have got right, but equally areas where we need to continue to improve”
London School of Economics