George Downing Estate. An urban community site.
Estate website
This website has been created as a result of our residents meetings. It can be used to share information, local knowledge and resources, helping us care for our estate and connecting and empowering our community. It’s a work in progress and we hope it will continue to evolve to meet residents needs.
The main issues residents are experiencing have been compiled in a list. We’re adding updates as they come in.
Get in touch if you’d like to share any thoughts or feedback.
Resident meetings
Residents gather once a season in the Boiler House to discuss issues and share thoughts and ideas.
The next meeting will be Autumn/Winter 2024. More details on the meetings page.
We are also having estate walk-arounds with Southern Housing on a fairly regular basis.
Estate management
The estate residents group formed in 2021 due to growing frustrations and a serious lack of presence, engagement and action from Southern Housing and their contractors.
During the course of 2023, we have seen some improvements, although many issues continue to go unaddressed. Residents have been communicating with one another, raising complaints with Southern Housing and the Housing Ombudsman and collaborating with our local Councillors and the Mayors office.
When these complaints begun to be processed we saw a marked increase in engagement, presence and action on the issues in our homes and on the estate.
We’ve also been in communication with Southern Housings Director of repairs and estate transformation who recently attended a meeting with residents to hear more about our issues. A series of monthly walk-arounds with Southern Housing representatives was recommended, which are currently underway. Over the past few months we have seen some improvement in unaddressed issues.
Topup Truck
The TOPUP TRUCK - a zero waste / refill shop on a repurposed milk float, has been visiting the estate. We’re not currently on the trucks regular scheduled route, although they do occasional visits and can be booked for deliveries. You can join the Topup Trucks George Downing Estate WhatsApp group to stay updated. Join group
Development update from Boiler House Spaces
OCTOBER 2024
COMING SOON new outdoor games pitch (MUGA) and Community garden
Boiler House Spaces, the community charity based at George Downing Estate, is soon to move ahead with our longstanding plans to:
Create a community garden
and
Build a new sports pitch (multi use games area - MUGA)
Thanks to our funders and supporters, we are going ahead with the first phase of space improvements hopefully starting work the week of November 18th.
Southern Housing walk-arounds with residents
OCTOBER 2024
Over the past year residents have been working with Southern Housing to arrange walk-arounds of the estate, as recommended by Southern Housings Director of repairs and estate transformation.
Walk-arounds enable us to speak directly with Southern Housing, giving them a clearer idea of the estates unaddressed and reoccurring problems and pointing out specific issues.
Over the past six months Southern Housing have conducted 5 walk-arounds with residents on the estate. We were prescribed a year of monthly walk-arounds so we hope the remainder will be fully made up over time.
More info and summaries of the walk-arounds here.
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Our landscaping is managed by Southern Housings garden maintenance team.
The condition of greenery on the estate is important to residents. There’s been concern about the amount of plants and shrubs that have died off over the past few years, leaving empty areas in beds across the estate.
The residents association has begun a dialogue with the head of the gardening maintenance team and the estate home services manager. We recently had a walkabout meeting to raise residents concerns and see where improvements might be made.
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There’s been a wave of resident gardening activity on the estate, with mini wildflower meadows and other growing projects.
The gardening maintenance team are keen to hear residents thoughts and are open to various forms of resident involvement. They would especially appreciate residents giving extra care to the greenery during hot, dry spells.
If you have thoughts or ideas you’d like to share, come along to a meeting or get in touch.
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The campaigns section of this website could help residents wishing to collaborate - share ideas and plans, explore funding opportunities, or promote any potential groups or projects.
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Research is being done into the possibility of creating a community forest garden on the estate, as part of the Boiler House community space development. The space could create opportunities for community connection and wellbeing while improving our estate environment.
What’s a forest garden?
A forest garden is a sustainable and diverse agricultural system that mimics a natural woodland ecosystem. It combines trees, shrubs, and other plants to create a self-sustaining environment with the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems.
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Recycling facilities on the estate include general recycling, food waste, garden waste and a clothing and textiles bin.
We currently have a fortnightly visit from the Topup Truck to help reduce packaging waste.
Does anyone have ideas or suggestions to make our estate more environmentally friendly?
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As well as helping our greenery flourish, spaces that attract wildlife create a healthier ecosystem.
Our estate is home to a range of animals, birds, bugs and bees - we even have a resident beekeeper working to increase our bee population.
What else could we do to make our estate a more wildlife friendly place?
Green George Downing🌿
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