Help shape the future of Blackshots Estate

October 2023

The redevelopment of the Blackshots Estate primarily focuses on the demolition and redevelopment of three 11-storey tower blocks – Keir Hardie House, Bevan House and Morrison House – and the development of new homes in their place.

We are looking to re-plan this area and provide lower height homes with easier access to gardens and green spaces. Having assessed the options, we have decided that developing new properties which are fit for modern living, are more efficient and give the borough's residents access to good quality affordable homes was the best.

The redevelopment programme offers an opportunity to raise the standard of living and improve the local environment.

The sites: Keir Hardie House (North) and Bevan - Morrison House (South). Image courtesy of Google Earth

What's been agreed

• If you are currently a council tenant you will move to another council home and the council remains your landlord
• Rents will remain affordable and be applicable to your new home
• Other tenancy conditions will be unchanged
• No change to Right To Buy (RTB) rights or discount as a result of the move
• We will aim to get your home move right first time – so you will only need to move once
• Vulnerable residents will receive extra support before, during and after the move
• We will pay you home loss compensation and disturbance allowance to cover your cost of moving
• You will have the option to return to new homes that meet your needs once works are completed if you wish
• The Council is committed to re-providing the same number of affordable homes and increase provision where feasible.

Ideas for the redevelopment of Keir Hardie House (North) site

The vision

We believe everyone should have a good quality home. Our main aims on each of the two sites are:

• Replace tower block homes with good quality housing
• Provide as many more additional homes for the borough as reasonable
• Provide safer, better overlooked open streets and spaces.

As we near the end of this period of engagement, we would like to present our vision for the redevelopment of the towers at Blackshots Estate. This time, we will be using everything we have heard to present a "preferred" approach, meaning a solution that ticks as many boxes as possible given project constraints.

Ideas for the redevelopment of Bevan & Morrison Houses (South) site

Your voice

We have listened to you, and learned how you use your neighbourhood; what you like, what you don't like and what you think could be improved. We've received a lot of useful comments on the previous design sketches - hopefully you should see these represented in our new designs. We have taken feedback and have incorporated the following key issues:

• We have limited the height of the new buildings
• Increased the number of green spaces, trees and planting
• Optimised the amount of parking spaces
• Improved location and position of the proposed blocks
• On the South site, we have replaced the proposed houses that were closer to the Laird Avenue's rear gardens with bungalows, to reduce the risk of overshadowing and overlooking

Ideas for the redevelopment of Keir Hardie House (North) site

Ideas for the redevelopment of Bevan & Morrison Houses (South) site