Lockner TRA

Re: Hackney Council's change of usage request: to turn the flat into a housing unit.

As I am sure you know, the residents association has a "community flat" on Lockner at 23 Blandford Court (the flat on the corner at the end of Blandford Court). We have had this for as long as we can remember. The space has 2 toilets, a large meeting area with small kitchenette and separate, smaller office room. You can see pictures of the interior here Historically it has been used for TRA meetings and community events, like art classes, film evenings and first aid courses.

Prior to the pandemic we used to hire the space out (while maintaining it for TRA meeting use) to a film company and the money raised in the TRA bank account went to subsidising community events like the Christmas Panto, Big Lunch, arts and crafts sessions etc. More recently it has been sitting empty, but available for residents to use if they need a space to retreat to when working from home (although there has been very little uptake of this). Housing services at Hackney council have written to us with a proposal to take back the flat from TRA use and switch it back to a residential flat for housing, along with eleven other community flats with a similar set up on other Hackney estates. They are asking for feedback about this. They have provided a list of alternative places we could hold meetings and there is a small budget if we want to hire somewhere locally for this purpose; meetings are for 2 hours quarterly/four times a year. The committee members would like Tenants and Residents to have their say on any future changes and to have the opportunity to voice any opinions regarding the loss of the Community flat.

Please note a similar questionnaire was circulated, however we wish to ensure everyone has a say so are circulating a second version of this form for further consultation with all residents on the Lockner Estate. However it does mean that any future TRA will not have the ability to make an income from the community flat in the future to generate money to bolster community events as we have enjoyed in the past. It is of note though that in order to do this we will need both ongoing permission from the council and someone within the TRA to have the time to organise and administer the hiring of the space (we currently do not have that capacity).

EDIT: Hackney Council have confirmed that we will NOT be able to rent the flat out to generate an income in the future - so it will be for meeting/event use only. This form is just to get the general feel from the community - not a definitive answer/vote.