The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has ruled in favour of Hammersmith & Fulham Council over a Right to Transfer request for the West Kensington and Gibbs Green
West Ken Gibbs Green Community Homes (WKGGCH) had submitted a request for determination on a Right to Transfer the estates from local authority ownership to a private registered provider. The council informed WKGGCH at the time that they considered they had grounds to reject the Notice. The council also submitted their own request for a determination to the Secretary of State. Both estates lie within the area of Capital & Counties’ Earls Court masterplan.
The Ministry has now issued a decision, and says that it feels that until such time as an enhanced master plan has been proposed and agreed, the development proposals of the existing Earls Court Masterplan, including the estates, and contractual obligations in relation to the conditional land sale agreement with Capital & Counties, remain in place.
The assessment concluded that there is sufficient ground to conclude that the Earls Court regeneration scheme is making concrete progress, and that the estates stock transfer would have significant detrimental effects on the regeneration of the Earls Court Opportunity Area.
The Ministry therefore accepts LBHF’s determination on the basis that WKGGCH’s proposed transfer will have a significant detrimental impact on the regeneration of the local area, and says that the stock transfer process in relation to the estates should not continue.
