Hyde Housing: Bellevue Mansions ITRA
Wednesday 8th of May 2024
Hello and welcome to the Tpas ITRA website for Bellevue Mansions
We are glad you stopped by and hope you find the information on this page useful.
Our aim is to provide independent advice about the proposals for this to all affected residents. We recognise this may be a stressful time for people and we are here to help.
Bellevue Mansions Post Ballot Update
The Ballot Result
Hello and welcome to the last set of updates on Bellevue Mansions from Tpas, your independent advisor on the proposed regeneration by Hyde Housing
As you probably know, the regeneration proposals contained in the Landlord Offer from Hyde were rejected by Bellevue Mansions residents, with 76.3% of residents voting against them and 23.74% voting for them. The turnout was also very high at 92.24%, meaning only three or four people out of a possible 64 did not vote. Our view is that this represents a very clear rejection of Hyde Housing’s proposals for regeneration which would have involved the demolition of the Bellevue Mansions building.
This means that the proposed regeneration will now not be going ahead as planned and Hyde are currently considering what they want to do next and we expect them to contact residents about this shortly.
Please read our latest newsletter: November 2025
We have recently sent out a newsletter which gives our perspective on the ballot and what it means for Bellevue Mansions residents in more detail. You can find this by clicking on the link below and we suggest that you do as it does contain quite a lot of information.
Our role as Independent Resident Advisor is ending
As the independent advisor, we will be finishing on this project at the end of this month (November 2025), but we will be monitoring and responding to contacts via or freephone or email or via this website until the end of the year (December 2025).
So, if you have anything you would like to discuss with us about how the ballot result affects you and any more general questions, we advise getting in touch with us sooner rather than later.
Below we have done a simple question and answer section where we try to anticipate questions residents might have about the situation going forward based on what people have said to us during the course of us working on Bellevue Mansions.
Questions Bellevue Mansions residents may have
Q/ The landlord offer document said that I could move off the estate if I wanted to. Can I still do this?
A/ As a Hyde tenant you can still apply to move off the estate through a transfer request or home swap, but you will receive no special priority and given housing demand in London getting a move is not guaranteed.
Q/My household is currently overcrowded; there is not enough space in my flat for everyone. In the landlord offer it said I would be able to get a bigger home if people voted for the proposals. Will I be eligible for a move even though the landlord offer has been rejected by residents?
A/ If you are a Hyde tenant and overcrowded in your home, you will be eligible for a transfer but unfortunately you will not receive the additional priority you would have had if your home was being demolished. This means due to housing shortages in London, you may be waiting quite a long time for a move. You will have some priority in the Hyde system though.
So. you are effectively in the same situation you were in before. However, if you have not asked Hyde for a move because you are overcrowded you should now do so if you want to have a chance at getting a bigger home. You may want to consider swapping your home or buying one away from Bellevue Mansions. Our last newsletter has more information on these options.
Q/The Landlord Offer mentioned that there would also be some remodelling of the spaces around Bellevue Mansions and provision of play areas etc, will this still take place?
A/ The landscaping and extra facilities were all part of the regeneration and demolition plans so none of this work will now take place. However, Hyde may well look at some improvement work on the green area at some point if residents request this. However, as we understand it nothing is planned at the moment.
Q/ Will anything from the Landlord Offer now happen or be available to residents?
A/ The answer to this is no. This includes offers on rehousing, compensation and common area redesign as these were all tied to the landlord offer that people rejected
Q/ Will some of the longer-term Improvement work the building needs like improved windows, works to the roof, rewiring, kitchens etc. be done now the building is not going to be demolished?
A/ The management and maintenance of the building will carry on as before with normal day-to-day maintenance being delivered by the Hyde repair team. However, Hyde will also have a long-term major works programme for Bellevue Mansions which will include things like windows, kitchens, wiring, heating, roof repairs etc that will be done over time. Hyde suspended this work whilst consultation on the ballot was ongoing but we would expect a revised long-term maintenance plan to now be drawn up and delivered. We would advise Bellevue Mansions residents to look out for Hyde consulting them on planned works in the coming months.
Q/ Now that regeneration is not going ahead what are the prospects for major works on Bellevue Mansions. What might these be and when will they take place?
Bellevue Mansions is an old building and suffers from some long-term maintenance issues, these relate to the building generally and the interior of individual flats.
This distinction is important as issues with the building generally will affect both leaseholders and tenants whereas works to the interior of the flats will only affect tenants.
Broadly speaking, these relate to the building generally such as its thermal efficiency (which covers windows and other components), roof condition (leading to damp), fire safety and the condition of communal areas, shared electrical services, shared heating and building components.
In terms of the interior of tenants’ flats, these are mainly in relation to the age and condition of kitchens, bathrooms and the age/ efficiency of central heating systems all of which will need to be replaced over time. This is in addition to heat efficiency, wiring and general condition of the flats in terms of floors and other components.
The above is based on our interpretation of the issues based on a briefing session given to the Residents’ Steering Group in November 2024 by the Hyde and what we have heard from residents. So, Hyde will be in a much better position to tell residents about the building defects in more detail, but hopefully this gives you a broad idea.
It is also worth noting that during the regeneration plan development and consultation period, Hyde collected quite a lot of data about the condition of the building and feedback from residents about the condition of Bellevue Mansions as a whole and individual properties.
Some issues will be addressed by routine maintenance, but a lot of these issues will need to be tackled on a planned basis. Hyde will need to draw up a plan to do this, detailing the works to be done and timescales for doing it. Our assumption is that this work will be done in stages over a number of years.
As part of doing this Hyde will need to consult with residents on these plans. We would also expect Hyde to consider the data and feedback they have received recently on the building alongside recent resident feedback on the issues and their expectations. We think it’s important that Hyde give residents an overview of how they intend to proceed on identifying and undertaking these building and improvement works as soon as possible.
It is also important that all Bellevue Mansions residents get involved in any consultation Hyde do on these planned works and make their views known.
The bottom line is that this work may take place over a number of years. For tenants the major issue will be the inconvenience of works being done fairly regularly over time both inside their property and in communal areas. For leaseholders they will not have the same disruption caused inside their homes, but they will be looking at paying our relatively significant amounts of money as a contribution to costs of the communal repairs they are liable for. As we said above it is important for all residents to engage with Hyde on these works and be consulted. Given the likely costs involved to leaseholders though, it is particularly important they discuss with Hyde the works to be carried out and their proposed cost.
Q/ Before the ballot on the landlord offer Hyde had suspended charges to leaseholders for some works done to communal areas pending the outcome of the ballot. Will these charges be brought back for leaseholders to pay now?
As far as we understand, leaseholders will now be charged for any bills that were suspended pending the ballot. We expect that Hyde will notify leaseholders about this and discuss arrangements for paying
Q/ The Leasehold Reform Act has recently been passed. How will this affect the leasehold services I receive from Hyde?
The latest leasehold reforms in the UK primarily stem from the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. This got Royal Assent in May 2024 but most of its provisions are not fully in force and are gradually being introduced after consultation on how they may operate practically.
There are lots of elements to this, but we think the things that may be most relevant to leaseholders at Bellevue Mansions are reforms aimed at making bills for service charges, administrative fees and buildings insurance more transparent alongside a requirement for quicker responses to leaseholder requests for information. This effectively makes it easier for leaseholders to challenge charges. Consultation on these elements closed in September 2025 so changes linked to them may come in within a few months.
What is more difficult to say is how these new changes will impact what Hyde do now. Historically these changes have been aimed at some managing agents who give very little information to leaseholders on these issues, but housing associations generally have a much better track record in terms of processes due to the housing regulator. However, given the amount of improvement works that may be happening at Bellevue Mansions over the coming years we would advise leaseholders to ask Hyde about how the new legislation is affecting their processes and seek to learn more themselves about the proposed changes and their rights.
There is a government funded but independent organisation called the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). They offer detailed online resources as well as well as a number you can ring with queries.
You can call them on 020 7832 2500
Their email is info@lease-advice.org
Their website is https://www.lease-advice.org/
Q/ Is there likely to be another vote on regenerations and demolition by Hyde on the Bellevue Mansions estate?
The short answer to this is no we don’t think there will be another ballot by Hyde, at least in the short term. But this is just our view and we don’t know for certain.
This is because it’s difficult to answer more definitively because the GLA rules that govern regeneration ballots on demolition In London do not limit the number of ballots that a landlord can have.
The GLA regulations state that the landlord needs to re-consult residents to see why they rejected the landlord offer and see if they can do re-ballot if the landlord feels residents are likely to vote for as it better meets their needs.
However, in the case of the ballot at Bellevue Mansions, there was a 76.3% no vote compared to 23.7% yes vote. this is roughly a 4 to 1 ration against the proposals and is a strong rejection of the offer document. Furthermore, there was a 92.2% turnout of residents for the ballot (which is extremely high) meaning that virtually everyone voted and so the vote was a very accurate reflection of how people feel.
So, on this basis we think its unlikely given the strength of the no vote that such a large number of people will change their opinion.
In addition, the offer itself was very generous for tenants in terms of design and size of the new homes, compensation, moving arrangements in that people only had to move once and retained the same number of rooms if they were under occupying their property. For leaseholders, the compensation was generous in terms of home loss even though they did not get the other benefits tenants got as they own their homes. Finally, the landscaping and amenities created in the offer was also significant. The point of all this is that it is unlikely that Hyde can realistically improve the offer much more practically. So, we think any improvement in the offer may be unlikely to change people’s minds.
So that is why we think in the short-term at least a new ballot will be unlikely. Hyde will need to understand why people voted they way they did, and decide if they are likely to support any future proposals they may make.
From our point of view the whole prospect of demolition and people having to move home is very stressful to people and has already caused a lot of anxiety on the estate, so Hyde also need to consider the impact on residents of a new vote happening relatively soon after this recent one.
Currently Hyde are considering what to do in terms of any future regeneration proposals In the light of the ballot result and will almost certainly want to consult residents about why they voted as they did as well as what they want to see in the future.
We would advise people to try to engage with Hyde as much as possible when they consult with people. In our view doing this will mean that resident views and aspirations will have the most impact on Hydes’s future decision making.
Q/ You keep saying that it’s important to engage with Hyde, but what does this mean in practice?
Usually, resident communication and involvement is carried out in a number of ways that involve various levels of time commitment for residents.
This can range from
- A newsletter/briefing sheet telling you want happening and what is planned and asking you to get in touch if you have any questions
- A survey that residents are asked to fill in which is usually about general satisfaction or people views on a specific issue or proposal
- Very specific consultation forms or individual visits on repair works to be carried out on your property
- Consultation via social media inviting comments, filling in online surveys etc
- A one-off meeting or focus group where people are invited to give their views on a particular issue or proposal and can have a two-way conversation with Hyde officers
- Attending a longer working group where Hyde staff and residents work together on the solution to a particular issue etc. a steering group is also an option here where residents work with a project team on a longer-term project or proposals
- Residents set up a residents’ association that they run and who work with Hyde on performance and proposals. A housing association will help set this up. Variants here are a tenants’ only group and a leaseholder only group as both these types of residents can have very different issues and interests.
The above is just an example of the kinds of involvement. The important point to note though is that these options range from just passively getting information, to commenting on it, to talking with Hyde directly about it, to working with Hyde on solutions and to having a more independent resident negotiation group.
The Regulator of Social Housing has said that housing associations have to consult residents more frequently on a wider range of things and make it possible for them to get involved more directly in decision making on service delivery as well as monitoring it.So as residents, you potentially have a lot of involvement options, and we would advise people to engage where they can with options that are suggested by Hyde or indeed by resident groups.
Doing this will be particularly important for Bellevue Mansions residents in the coming years if they want their voice heard in what is planned for the future
Any questions?
If you would like to contact us you can ring:
David Smethurst or Matthew Wicks from Tpas
You can contact Dave on
Email: david.smethurst@tpasassociate.org.uk
Mobile: 07788 420716
Or Matt on
Email: matthew.wicks@tpas.org.uk
Mobile: 07704 402987
Alternatively you can ring our freephone number on
Freephone: 0800 731 1619
Or email us on
Email: bellevueresidentadvisor@tpas.org.uk
And we will get back to you by the next working day
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Below you can download some Frequently Asked Questions for both Tenants and Leaseholders.
We will be updating our answers to commonly asked questions on this page so please keep an eye out for them as we add them.
AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD
Download: Archived Webpage Content
Download: November 2025 Newsletter
Download: September 2025 Newsletter
Download: July 2024 Newsletter
Download: March 2024 Newsletter