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MP and housing chief clash over scheme
A WAR of words has broken out between city MP Stewart Jackson and housing association bosses after he slated their scheme to replace Thurston House with low-cost homes.
The row flared up after Accent Nene’s plans to demolish the Victorian house in Lincoln Road, Peterborough and build 34 affordable homes were approved by Peterborough City Council’s planning committee on Tuesday.
The decision sparked uproar among residents, the city’s Civic Society and Mr Jackson, who accused the committee of committing a “disgraceful act of vandalism” and blasted councillors for going against the advice of officers, who said Accent Nene’s conclusion that keeping the Victorian villa was not viable was “weak”.
And in his column in The Evening Telegraph this week, he slammed the homes as being of “poor quality” and catering for people on benefits.
The decision has now been “called” and will be reviewed by councillors and Mr Jackson said he hoped the council would think again before deciding to destroy a part of Peterborough’s heritage.
He said: “I still think it’s a low quality build. We have too much social housing and we need to improve the stock in an area which has significant problems with crime and poverty.
“I’m not against any development but I want councillors to give consideration to what was said in the report that the case for demolishing the building was weak.
“They should look again at the report and if they throw out the decision, all that means is that Accent Nene will have to come up with another scheme, which might save Thurston House. This is a historic building and part of Peterborough’s heritage and we should think clearly before we agree to demolish it.”
But Adrian Redmond, the development and sales director at Accent Nene, defended the scheme and said it would reduce the waiting list of 9,000 people looking for affordable homes.
He said: ”We believe this was the right decision and hope the council will uphold the original decision.
“These homes are designed to the highest standards to fit well into the local street scene, while incorporating high levels of sustainable technology.”
He said they had completed a detailed design exercise to see if the original building could be kept as an office or residential development.
But due to falling market value and the building’s poor quality, as well its position on the site, they found it would not be practical.
He said: “Accent Nene recognise that Thurston House is an old property with a long history. But we have considered the options carefully and costed up alternatives, and on balance the building is simply not viable and there is a real risk that retention will lead to the site becoming further underused and a potential blight in the local area.
“Our letting process for new schemes is always mindful of the location of the properties and contrary to some of the recent coverage, our residents are certainly not all “benefit dependent workless individuals”, but a good section of the Peterborough community.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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