Ewart Road Housing Co-operative was one of the first housing co-operatives to be formed in the London Borough of Lewisham.
When the GLC started building the Ewart Road Estate in 1978, it was intended from the outset that it should be run by the tenants themselves as a co-operative. Initially a Steering Committee was set up, and as the estate was being built, two representatives from each completed block joined the committee. A constitution for the co-operative was drawn up and it was officially registered on the 3rd December 1980. The Steering Committee then became the co-op’s first Management Committee.
Meanwhile an agreement under which the co-op would manage the houses for the GLC was also drawn up and submitted to the (then) Department of the Environment for approval. Under the original agreement, acceptance into membership of the co-op was a requirement of becoming a tenant, so that not only would all members be tenants, but also all tenants would be members. Approval for the agreement was granted in 1981. The estate was officially opened by HRH Princess Alexandra on the 14th October 1981.
In July 1983, the GLC’s housing stock was passed to the local boroughs. The co-op and its estate then came under the remit of Lewisham Council.
In 2000, the co-op took advantage of the Right to Manage legislation to renegotiate its management agreement with the council, taking on additional responsibilities as a Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) and managing agent of the Ewart Road Estate. The co-op is now responsible for carrying out almost all of the Council’s duties regarding the management of the 253 flats and houses on the estate.
Ewart Road's famous green elephant
In conclusion, forty years on, despite a change of ownership of the houses and many changes of government, the co-op's residents continue to be in charge of their housing estate, as they have been since the houses and flats were built.