Paper petition details
Tower Hamlets Council to re-open the Boundary Estate Community Launderette.
Boundary Estate Community Launderette operates from 28 Calvert Avenue, a shop owned by Tower Hamlets council. The Launderette has been serving the diverse local community on the estate and surrounding areas of Tower Hamlets and Hackney for over 30 years. Set up by residents in 1992 as a direct response to mould and damp issues in their flats, this service is still as much needed today as it was then. It is a well used and loved community resource that local residents and businesses depend upon.
On Friday 9 February, without warning, staff arrived to find that their keys no longer worked. Bailiffs, commissioned by Tower Hamlets Council, had changed the locks. It transpires that the council’s asset management team are demanding a 6-fold rent increase with on year’s rent to be paid in advance. We are shocked that the council have used such aggressive measures to remove a valued amenity that provides value for money, providing an essential service and employment for four local people.
Issues of mould and damp and their detrimental effect on
residents’ health have been well-reported in recent years. It
is a systemic issue here on our estate and on countless others.
Residents need a convenient facility to wash and dry clothes
locally, to alleviate these problems. The Launderette has become an
important community space for those who suffer from loneliness and
isolation as they use it to meet other residents and for some it is
their only means of social interaction. Loss of our Launderette
will result in the deteriorating mental and physical health of
residents and a worsening condition of the asset fabric of our
estate. The cost to the council of affordable rent for this vital
community service will be paid back many times by the benefits to
the health of our community and the infrastructure we
inhabit.
On reaching 30 signatures Eligible to present to Council
This Paper petition ran from 06/03/2024 to 31/10/2024 and has now finished.
2161 people signed this Paper petition.
This is a paper petition received by the council. It has never been available for signature online.
Council response
I refer to the Petition in respect of the Launderette, which was presented to the Council meeting on Wednesday 17 July 2024. Council resolved that the petition be referred to the Corporate Director of Housing and Regeneration, for a written response.
The Launderette organisation has been issued with an interim agreement to allow the launderette to reopen whilst options for a longer-term arrangement are worked through.
A meeting has taken place with the Launderette to discuss the steps that would need to be taken for the council to put longer-term arrangements in place, based on the undersigned petition. The discussions going forward will included the community portfolio aspects mentioned in points two and three of the petition. These aspects are being explored by officers, working with the launderette group to find a solution to the longer-term arrangement for the future sustainability of the Launderette as part of the community cohesion.
Further meetings will be arranged to progress with the launderette group.
Kind regards,
Paul Patterson
Interim Corporate Director, Housing & Regeneration
paul.patterson@towerhamlets.gov.uk