Council Leader visits Stonebridge estate

Published by N Dorrington for The Hyde Group in Housing and also in Local Government

Yesterday (26 November 2012) housing association, The Hyde Group, hosted Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, on a tour of Stonebridge estate.

Cllr Butt was very impressed with the regeneration that has taken place on the estate over the past 14 years. Hyde took over from the Stonebridge Housing Action Trust in 2007; it owns and manages 1,300 homes on Stonebridge estate of which 332 belong to Brent Council.

Cllr Butt said: “This estate has been transformed. The new homes are high quality and a mixture of flats and houses. This has produced a mixed and fully integrated community – exactly what we need across Brent. ”

Hyde does more than put roofs over people’s heads. It’s social and economic regeneration arm, Hyde Plus, offers residents advice on jobs and training, money and debt advice, as well as locally designed community projects and expert advice that helps people get involved in improving their community and change lives.

“It was good to meet Hyde’s dedicated staff and learn about how it is empowering communities, supporting vulnerable people and preparing residents for the impact of welfare reforms. In Brent we put community first, and it is great to see Hyde is doing the same.” commented Cllr Butt.       

The tour included visits to the award winning community centre, the Hillside Hub, the Fawood Children’s Centre, a general needs block to show how the former Brent stock has been renewed, a Brent Housing and Social care PFI scheme and The Pavilion Sports Centre.

Nazir Hafezjee, Hyde’s Head of Housing for London North, who led the tour, explained that there were many ways residents could get involved in influencing services on Stonebridge. “One of our current priorities focuses on involving more residents in monthly estate inspections,” he said. He added that a dedicated ASB officer and a Tenancy Sustainment Officer had recently been appointed.