Southwark News, Thursday April 7 2022
www.southwarknews.co.uk/news
NEWS 11
15% of Southwark is blighted by fuel poverty By Joshua Askew
joshA@southwarknews.co.uk Fifteen per cent of homes in Southwark are living in fuel poverty, a Labour party study has found.
Fuel poverty occurs when a household must spend more than 10 per cent of its income on energy
Approximately 20,000 households in the borough are struggling to keep their homes warm and well lit this year. The findings come just one day before the government is set to lift the energy price cap, which will see energy costs surge by 54 per cent on average. This crippling increase is likely to push people further to the brink in the coming months. Yet fuel poverty in Southwark is around the average for London. Boroughs Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Waltham Forest have the worse fuel poverty in the capital, with more than 20 per cent of households facing grim choices on whether or not to heat their homes. The City of London, which is also one of the richest London boroughs, has the lowest amount of fuel poverty at around
6 per cent of households. Fuel poverty occurs when a household must spend more than 10 per cent of its income on energy. But the government recently broadened the definition to include homes where fuel costs are above the national average, and where meeting these costs pushes the household below the poverty line. While most households across Southwark will feel the effects of April's energy price hike, those on low incomes will face more pain as they are typically reliant on pre-paid metres, which are more expensive than other alternative forms of energy. Many factors are increasing fuel poverty in Southwark and the wider country. The cost of energy is rising rapidly as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, meaning households need to spend more of their income paying fuel and electricity bills. Many of Southwark's homes are also poorly insulated, which allows lots of heat to escape, and they have old and
inefficient heating systems. To solve the crisis, Labour is calling for an immediate cut to VAT on energy bills and a windfall tax on energy companies, alongside an extension on the warm homes discount, which together could save households between £200 to £600 per year. Oil giants BP and Shell are on course to make a combined profit of £40 billion this year. The government has offered households a £200 loan to offset energy costs, which will be repayable over the course of five years. "For months now, Londoners have been telling me agonising stories about the sacrifices they’ve been forced to make including deciding whether to cook a meal or whether to heat their home," said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. "The story is the same up and down the country and the Government’s response? A dodgy loan that no one asked for. Labour has a comprehensive strategy to bring costs down and ensure our ongoing energy security through investment in renewables,” he added.
to see the joy the device brought to residents as donned their headphones and cranked the volume up to the max. The songs on the MP3 players had been hand-picked by five of the residents, who sat down with staff and discussed the important tracks from their past. "I love that I can now listen to my favourite songs when I want and relax in my room,” said one lady at Queen's Oak. Purple Angel, the charity behind the initiative, said they wanted to ensure residents could access music and feel the benefits of listening to familiar songs. "Not only does this help to boost mood, but also bring back connected memories from the past," they said. Devon-based Purple Angel, which aims to raise awareness of dementia and provide support for people who live with
it, said that, since the iPods had arrived, they have been passed around the home, allowing all the residents to take some time out and listen to music on their own. "This has been calming and uplifting for many people and has certainly improved personal wellbeing," they said. NHS England has found that music can bring much physical and mental solace to elderly people, especially those with dementia. It can help reduce anxiety and depression, maintain speech and language, is helpful at the end of life, enhances quality of life and has a positive impact on carers. "Music lights up emotional memories. Everyone remembers songs from their past, the first kiss, the song at a wedding [or] seeing their parents dance," the NHS England website reads.
In the planning application, consultants HGH, speaking on behalf of Tribe, claim the tower is needed as there is "a substantial deficit in the supply of student housing relative to the number of students living and studying in Southwark." Both London South Bank University and the London College of Communication are a short walk from the proposed site. They wrote a letter in support of the development, which was attached to last week's application. Avonmouth House operator etc. venues said the existing conference centre is "surplus to requirements." They added that businesses and staff at the centre will be relocated to nearby Prospero House in Borough High Street. "The proposed development, designed by Stitch Architects, is of the highest quality and would deliver an exemplary design solution for this site," said HGH in the planning document. "The architecture is expressed as a group of elements of differing heights which relate to different orientations." They continued: "It will form part of the emerging cluster at Elephant
& Castle and will represent an appropriate transition between the tallest elements located on Newington Causeway including Two Fifty One, 89 and 87 Newington Causeway, and the lower scale further north on Newington Causeway and to the south and east of the site. "Its height will contribute to this emerging cluster that defines the gateway into the central area of Elephant & Castle." HGH has worked on a number of major developments in Southwark, including the Leathams Building and Nyes Wharf. Founded in 2020 by a team of veteran developers in the private housing sector, Tribe says it aims to ease the shortage of good quality affordable accommodation for London’s students. The company is currently progressing with five sites including this scheme. In March, Tribe was provided with a £35 million loan to build a 250-unit student accommodation development in South Bermondsey. The plans can be viewed using the reference 21/AP/4297 on the Southwark planning register.
'Pumping up the jam' in care home Peckham residents play their favourites thanks to Purple Angel By Joshua Askew joshA@southwarknews.co.uk Residents of one carehome have had the opportunity to blast out their favourite tracks.
Two-thirds of Southwark homes sold before being built By Kit Heren kit@southwarknews.co.uk More than two-thirds of homes sold in Southwark last year were snapped up before developers had finished building them, research shows.
The survey by estate agents Hamptons shows that the borough had the third-highest rate of 'offplan' sales in the country - at 67 per cent - and the highest in London. Only the Cotswolds and Monmouthshire in Wales had higher rates. Southwark's rate was well ahead of the average for England and Wales, which stood at 37 per cent. But this was still the highest rate national rate in six years. Hamptons said the increase was because fewer homes were available on the market. This also means that people looking to actually live in their homes - rather than people who
want to use them as an investment opportunity - are behind much of the growth in off-plan sales. It comes after the News reported in March that the average price of a property in Southwark is about thirteen times the average salary of someone who lives in the borough. David Fell, a senior analyst at Hamptons, said: "“The lack of second-hand homes available to buy has meant that owner-occupiers are increasingly turning to new builds, with more willing to buy offplan in the face of limited options on the market. Typically, these are chain-free homeowners who have more flexibility on moving dates. "Despite this, owner-occupiers don’t buy as far in advance as investors who are often happy to wait a year or two, particularly when prices are rising. They’re also more likely to seek out bespoke, individually designed houses in smaller schemes, rather than flats in big city centre blocks."
Those living in Queen's Oak, Peckham, have been given MP3 players jam-packed with their most loved songs. Residents were "smiling, singing and dancing along" not long after the five iPod Shuffles arrived at the care home last week. Staff at Queen's Oak said it was wonderful
Another tower is coming to Elephant By Joshua Askew
joshA@southwarknews.co.uk Plans for a new sixteen-storey block at Elephant have been submitted to Southwark Council.
The 233-room student accommodation will be located on Avonmouth Street, just off Newington Causeway at Elephant and Castle. It will replace the existing Avonmouth House Conference Centre, which is behind the London Bridge Job Centre and neighbours Newington Gardens. Developer Tribe have said the block will include 233 rooms for students, alongside offices and a new healthcare hub. "I strongly object to this proposal," said one online commentator on the planning application. "Those of us living on the Western side of the Rockingham Estate are now being surrounded by high-rise buildings. The Travelodge Hotel allowed here is a complete eyesore. "Natural light has already been greatly reduced over the past few years," they added.
