CONTENTS – 1 Old Barnsbury planning application – 2 Request for Dec 2021’s Draft Charter Old Barnsbury Leaseholder proposals to be re-confirmed – 3 Date of next Barnsbury Residents Group meeting (BRG)
1. Old Barnsbury planning application
Old Barnsbury planning application is still active – if you wish to send comments you can do this via email to: planning@islington.gov.uk & the application lead nicholas.linford@islington.gov.uk.
The reference on Islington Council’s planning portal is: P2022/2454/FUL. (For New Barnsbury comments, the ref is P2022/1898/FUL – remember, we will be impacted by planning decisions there too so do comment about these plans as well if you want to!)
If you want to send comments, please do it soon, we don’t know the exact date the application will be considered but it could be any time from November onwards.
Details of the flyers issued by Newlon with some recent design details are on the BEST website if you have not received through your doors – https://betterbarnsbury.org.uk/
2. Request for Dec 2021’s Draft Charter Old Barnsbury Leaseholder proposals to be re-confirmed
As requested at the recent leaseholder meeting, Newlon’s Chief Exec and Director of Housing Services have been emailed as follows, hopefully we will hear back soon:
As you’re aware, Old Barnsbury Leaseholders held meetings with Bill Henderson in Nov/Dec 2021 to reach a revised agreed position for Old Barnsbury Leaseholders as follows (replacing Section 8.0 proposals included in the draft charter issued in early 2021 to all residents):
8.0 Offer to Old Barnsbury Leaseholders
8.1 Resident Leaseholders
Leases where leaseholders are resident in their homes at the date Outline Planning Permission is granted will be permanently excluded from the charges for the transformation works described in the offer document. This exclusion is noted against the individual leases of confirmed resident leaseholder and wholly transferable to any subsequent leaseholder if the lease is later sold.
This exclusion is fully protected in the event that leaseholders subsequently sub-let, within the terms of the lease and other legal requirements, or sell their homes.
Sinking Funds on those leases will not be deducted for refurbishment works as that is a form of charging.
Exactly how residency is to be determined still needs to be clarified.
Nothing changes in individual leases in respect of these Newlon commitments, it’s essentially a note on file for the position against each flat at the time outline planning permission is granted which can be referenced in future sale searches etc.
What Newlon is doing is making a public proposal and commitment about how they will implement their commitments in the Offer document and this commitment will override the original content in the Draft Residents’ charter (issued January 2021).
8.2 Non-Resident Leaseholders
Old Barnsbury non-resident Leaseholders will be charged the full cost of external works, except where these are improvements and the lease is a non-charging lease.
Charges will be subject to a cap of £50,000. Newlon anticipates the amount will be below this and will give estimates.
8.3 All Old Barnsbury Leaseholders
Newlon will consult all residents including tenants and leaseholders and be as clear as it can as to which works are happening to which block when and the costs.
Where windows or doors which conform to the requirements of the transformation have aleady been installed, they can remain and the costs passed to the non-resident leaseholder will be reduced. Newlon will honour any written agreement given when windows or doors were fitted with permission.
Newlon will follow Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
Newlon cannot give loans or put a charge on properties to pay for works. If the law changes to allow that Newlon will consider doing so.
Newlon will review and publish its adherence to these commitments annually.
At a recent meeting, Old Barnsbury Leaseholders have requested a formal re-confirmation of this agreement and also requested to be formally advised of the means by which residency will be determined. I would be grateful if you can respond on both points no later than Tues 11th October.
Our current assumption is that Old Barnsbury leaseholder residency will be confirmed on the day in which the Old Barnsbury planning application is granted, if and when this is. Please also advise if this assumption has changed.
3. Date of next Barnsbury Residents Group meeting (BRG)
Weds 12th Oct in the New Barnsbury community hall – 6-8pm.
Barnsbury Estate Leaseholders Group 