St Martin's, Tulse Hill, London Borough of Lambeth
St Martin's Community Partnership was set up following a successful ballot by London Borough of Lambeth in 1999 to transfer over 1,000 homes to be managed by MHT, Presentation and Horizon Housing.
The £42 million pound regeneration programme took three years to complete and works were carried out whilst residents were in occupation. The Estate also received a £7 million grant from Estate Renewal Challenge Funding(ERCF). The regeneration has included new windows, kitchens, bathrooms and landscaping. Residents were also able to help design their own kitchens and 90% of residents were satisfied with the works carried out
St Martin's has been managed by MHT on behalf of the other partners since 2005 and is the third largest in the borough of Lambeth with 72 blocks on the estate occupied by around 5,700 people.
The heart of the community
After finishing the regeneration work in 2005/06, St Martin's has continued to invest in its community centre which is right at the heart of the estate. It is managed by a committee and can be used by local residents and clubs.
St Martin's also works in partnership with community organisations like the High Trees Community Development Trust to deliver specialist services such as computer literacy and training courses. It works with Imagine, a local outreach organisation working to improve the quality of life for elderly and vunerable residents through care in the community and funds a very successful Senior Citizens Club, formed over four years ago to establish a voice for residents over the age of 55. It holds regular meetings so older people can get together and make friends in a fun environment.
There are lots of young people on the estate and a Trainee Youth Development Worker has recently joined the team to help to develop the youth club and exciting youth holiday programmes. The youth club offers activity programmes aimed at developing community cohesion, life skills and healthy living.
Other services include one to one support through GAIN, an outreach programme to help unemployed residents access training and employment.