Thursday 14 February 2008

NOTICE FROM SOUTHWARK COUNCIL:

Recently, this noticed arrived through the letterbox from Southwark Council. Given there are one or two more empty flats in my building alone every couple of weeks, it's not hard to see why this is happening:


RE: SQUATTING PROBLEMS ON THE HEYGATE ESTATE

As many of you are aware, there has been an increase in illegal squatters on the Heygate. This is causing problems for residents and has been marked by an increase in both crime and nuisance.

The London Borough of Southwark will not tolerate squatting in any of its properties, and will always take action against squatters. However we do need your assistance. If you see anyone in the act of breaking into a property, please call the police on 999. If you suspect that a property has been squatted, please contact your housing officer. You can also contact Southwark anti-social behaviour unit on . . .

Decpetion Crimes:

We have also noticed an increase in deception crimes. Some residents have received a notice which is sometimes used to remove squatters from properties.

We do not know who has served this notice, but we suspect it is being used by squatters in an attempt to move into tenanted properties to squat them.

If you receive such a notice, please contact your housing officer, or any member of temporary accommodation staff. If someone visits your property and claims to work for Southwark Council, please always ask for identification.

1 comment:

Johnny said...

Hi,

Thanks so much for your blog - I'm really enjoying it, and looking forward to reading more soon. I'm a big fan of the Elephant, and find the Heygate fascinating. I'm often in two minds about regeneration (and I'm thinking of what's happened in New York here too - a new upscale hotel has just opened on the Bowery!)however, I hope that in this case it is beneficial for current residents as well as London as a whole.

I'm currently working on a novel about contemporary London, and am thinking of incorporating the Heygate somehow. If you have time, I'm love to find out more about your thoughts and experiences. Please email me on jf underscore lucas at yahoo dot co dot uk or call 07815 715 732
I look forward to hearing from you!
Kind regards

John.