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Greenwich Council Investigation: Parents Demand Answers Over Ex-Offenders Accommodation

Parents in Greenwich are calling for answers after Greenwich Council sold a children’s home to a developer that could turn the site into a home for ex-offenders.

Greenwich Council and a developer funded by a bank with links to Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak face serious questions over the development of a site in a residential part of Greenwich.

Greenwich Council Planning Enforcement is currently investigating whether real estate investment and development group, Grosvenor Hill, has failed to seek planning permission on a recent redevelopment of a former residential home for children, once owned by the Council.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich sold the 6800 sq. ft site in May 2022 in an “informal tender”. At point of sale, the Council advertised the 75 Ashburnham Grove site with “potential for redevelopment (Subject to the necessary consents)”.

Following an investigation by Chamber, a whistle-blower at Greenwich Council claimed that a “deal was done” when the sale completed that would enable the Council to have a ‘significant say’ in who would be housed in the facility.

The Ashburnham Grove site was purchased by GH Green Grove Ltd in May 2022, a company set up to facilitate the purchase and with Directors Gary Landesberg, David Rosenberg, Elliot Rosenberg, Abel Leaman and Dion Michael. It is understood that Grosvenor Hill Social Impact Group, which runs the freehold, is owned by the same Directors. Abel Leaman and Dion Michael are both directors of MXL Capital Limited. The group was provided with a £40 million loan by debt finance specialists OakNorth.

Two recently promoted directors at the OakNorth Bank caught the attention of Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak at a British Asian Trust event in October last year, sponsored by the bank.

Oaknorth Bank have provided a loan to Grosvenor Hill which bought the property from Greenwich Council
Directors, Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank, Greg Manson and Max Saidman pose with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Grosvenor Hill has leased the site to Noble Tree, a charity that helps vulnerable people find housing.

Planning enforcement investigation

Following the submission of building control plans for the site by London Building Control Company to Greenwich Council, planning enforcement has confirmed that they have written to Grosvenor Hill.

The Council has asked Grosvenor Hill for the drawings of the site to consider whether there has been a change of use from the 11-bed residential facility for children to “27 self-contained flats.”

Given that Noble Tree has confirmed that “no tenancies have been signed”, it is understood that Greenwich Council will be considering whether the site has changed use from a residential home to a house of multiple occupancy.

Given the financial difficulties for all councils in the current economic environment, the council will be able to find out whether the plans submitted will provide 25 or more additional bed space that will require the developer to pay a contribution to the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Head of Business Development at Noble Tree Foundation, Georgina Lee-Walker told Chamber “There is no planning required as the property is continued to be used for social accommodation as per the previous use of the hostel by the local council.”

A spokesperson for Grosvenor Hill told Chamber “refurbishment works on the property have been completed under permitted development rights.”

“All accommodation meets the national housing standards and in line with Greenwich Council policy. Greenwich Council have been in the property on multiple occasions and checked all units meet requirements as well as full building control sign off,” they said.

It is alleged that a Greenwich Council Planning Enforcement Officer was denied access to the property last year by the onsite contractor.

Who owns the site?

There has been much confusion in respect of the ownership of the site. Greenwich Council Planning Enforcement confirmed in December 2022 that the Council still owned the site. This is reflected in the Land Registry.

However, since the investigation by this journal, Greenwich Council has confirmed they sold the site in May 2022.

A spokesperson for Grosvenor Hill said that they had consulted with their solicitor and been told that the Land Registry has a “backlog” to update ownership records.

A spokesperson for HM Land Registry said “Despite extremely high levels of transactions since 2021, HM Land Registry has continued to deliver the most essential services required to support the property market. If an application is urgent applicants can apply to expedite their application free of charge. Most expedited cases are completed in 10 working days.”

Greenwich Council is yet to disclose how much the site was sold for, nor whether any covenants were added as part of the sale.

Building 2 Cropped 1
The Council, Noble Tree and Grosvenor Hill are yet to publish the drawings of the internal layout

Will the residents have enough space to live?

In 2020, the Mayor of London introduced the Housing Design: Quality and Standards planning guidance following multiple allegations of developers providing inadequate space for residents in order to maximise financial gain.

The standards state that within London, each one-bed, self-contained private unit must provide 5 sqm of amenity space, with an additional 1 sqm per additional resident.

Following the submission of the building control plans for 27 self-contained units by Grosvenor Hill, this would result in each room receiving less than 200sq ft of room space. Given that one of the rooms will include an office, local residents have expressed concern to Greenwich Council that accommodation will resemble “cages” for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

One local resident told this journal that “no matter their background, every human being has a right to enough space to live. Many vulnerable people have poor mental health, and their wellbeing is critical to their future successes. It is really unfair of the developers to provide a ‘cell’ for people to live in.”

The Head of Business Development at Noble Tree Foundation, Georgina Lee-Walker insisted the home “meets the National Housing Standards and the London Space Standards.”

London Building Control Company, Grosvenor Hill, Greenwich Council and Noble Tree have all be asked to publish the internal drawings of the site.

Who will be living there?

Asked directly about who will be living in the facility provided by Noble Tree, Chamber has received mixed messages from the charity and the developer.

In a statement from Grosvenor Hill, they said “we purchased the property from Greenwich Council after a successful tender which involved Grosvenor Hill advising the use of the property for social housing as well as who the tenant would be ahead of the purchase.”

However, asked about the categories of people that will be moving into the site, Noble Tree told Chamber “We are unable to disclose this information as no agreements/tenancies have been signed therefore there are no current categories of people moving in.”

On their website, Noble Tree say they work with “target groups” including homeless people, domestic abuse victims and ex-offenders.

Messages seen by Chamber from local ward Councillor and Cabinet Member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness at Greenwich Council, Pat Slattery suggests that the facility could become a women’s refuge. However, safe houses for women survivors are normally kept secret owing to the need to protect residents.

Given that the site has now been identified as a safe house for women by the local council, it seems unlikely the site providing 27 self-contained flats will be used to house women or their families. For ‘step-up’ accommodation, it seems likely that Noble Tree plans to provide accommodation for their other service users including homeless people and ex-offenders.

A local mum who asked not to be named said: “I have two young children. The fact that neither the Council, nor Noble Tree will confirm the residents that will be living there, despite the deal ahead of the sale, is extremely worrying. I asked the local Councillors directly who would be living in the accommodation as I had seen from Noble Tree’s website that they rehouse ex-criminals.

“I walk my children to school past the facility every day to school and for the safety of my children, I want to know if I am going to be living alongside people who are ex-sex offenders or people who are still using drugs. I just want answers.”

Asked directly whether the site would house any needle exchanges on site, the council declined to comment.

Calls for the developer to engage with the Council

As the former owner of the property, that according to the developer, set conditions on who the tenant would be, the Council has taken the extraordinary step to call on the developer to engage with them on the ongoing planning dispute.

A council spokesperson said: “Local residents have expressed their concerns to the Council about building works currently happening at 75 Ashburnham Grove. A planning officer has visited the site to speak to the new owner GH Green Grove Ltd.  

“We would encourage the new owner to engage with us, as the planning authority, to see if the work it is doing does or does not require planning permission. If the new owner needs to make a planning application, the Council as the planning authority will consider the views of local people before any decision is taken.  

“We are aware that GH Green Grove Ltd’s intended tenant for its site is Noble Tree Foundation, a provider of housing for vulnerable people, and we welcome the provision of more housing in the borough for those in need, that meets all necessary regulations.”

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