South Kilburn
South Kilburnis a largehousing estateinKilburn,in theLondon Borough of Brent.[1][2]Typical ofbrutalist1960s designs ofpublic housing in the United Kingdom,it is characterised by high-density housing in low-rise flats and 11 concretetower blocks.It was approved in 1959 and extended in 1963. This scheme was further developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s; redevelopment occurred during the 2010s. The population is predominantlyAfro-CaribbeanandPashtun.
Geography
[edit]South Kilburn is within theLondon Borough of Brent,to the east/southeast ofQueens Park tube station,immediately south ofKilburn Park tube station,north ofMaida Hill,and to the west of thePaddington Recreation Ground.Carlton Valeis thenumbered streetthat separates the northern and southern parts of the estate.
Redevelopment
[edit]In 2014 a massive redevelopment project was started by theLondon Borough of Brentto redevelop the estate, starting with the demolition of two of the 18-storey housing blocks on the estate.[3]This has continued with the creation of new housing blocks built to modern design quality and energy efficiency standards and owned by several differenthousing associationsalong with infill developments owned by the local council.[4]Per the plans for this regeneration scheme, the redevelopment so far has seen a net loss of social housing units as most of the new blocks replacing the demolished buildings include a number of flats for social rent ( "council housing" ) along with flats for sale on the private market. The Gloucester House and Durham Court section of the regeneration, begun byTelford Homeshousing association in 2017, will see the demolition of 209 flats and their replacement with 235 new-build units, nearly half of which (133) will be for private sale.[2][5][6]The construction of market-rate flats for sale has made the area popular with real estate investors and home-buyers who see the area's central location and numerous transport links as attractive features.[7]
In May 2019, inhabitants of the newly built Merle Court (opened in 2012) were forced to move due to design problems in the building.[8]Several months later the mandatory balloting procedure of residents for Phase 2 of the South Kilburn redevelopment scheme was met with a campaign by some local residents to extend the ballot to all 8,000 residents, many of whom, in anticipation of future demolition, are settled on the estate as residents in temporary accommodation, and who, Brent Council argues, do not need to be included under theGreater London Authority's rules on estate regeneration balloting.[9]
Crime on the estate
[edit]
South Kilburn has long been plagued bycrime,the streets and blocks that characterise the dense sprawl of housing being the site of numerous shootings and a drug trade controlled by variousgangs,including the notorious £R.[1][10][11][12]The gangs of South Kilburn have been known to have an ongoing rivalry with gangs from Ladbroke Grove in particular the Mozart Estate and the Kensal Green boys, which has resulted in numerous shootings, stabbings andkidnappings.[13][1][14][12]The rivalry has been reported to be a typical "postcode war",[15]
2007 raid
[edit]On 18 April 2007, 500police,including firearms officers, raided the estate in a series of dawn raids after a months-longsting operationwhere members of a gang known as F.A.C. (Fire Arms Cartel) had been sellinggunsto undercover police officers.[16][17]Numerous arrests were made resulting in prosecutions with claims that the police had 'smashed' an 'untouchable gang'.[16]Although crime levels subsequently fell to some extent, there were similar raids in 2011 when 250 police officers once again stormed the South Kilburn Estate in a co-ordinated drugs raid.[18]The gang rivalry between the South Kilburn and Mozart estates has continued with numerous gang fights as well as the shooting of innocent victim Daniel Omari Smith, gunned down in 2010 in aKFCin a case of mistaken identity.[12][19][20]
In 2013, Sabrina Moss was killed in a takeaway shop on Kilburn High Road while celebrating her 24th birthday, when she was hit by bullets from aMAC-10submachine gun, intended for South Kilburn gang members from the F.A.C. gang who were also in the takeaway.[21][22]Her friend as well as two South Kilburn gang members were also hit by bullets and injured in the attack which was perpetrated by members of the Kensal Green Boys gang who were involved in a long-running feud with gangs from the South Kilburn Estate.[22]
Mohanna Abdhou murder
[edit]In May 2017, Mohanna Abdhou, a 20-year-old woman, was shot and killed while hanging out with friends on the South Kilburn Estate outside Dickens House.[23]The intended targets were probably a group of young men from the estate who managed to escape being shot while Mohanna, who had no involvement with gangs, was tragically hit by a bullet in the stomach and died.[23]Once again, this killing was connected by police and prosecutors to the tit-for-tat violence between local gangs in and around the area.[24]Thegang warbetween the Mozart and South Kilburn estates continues despite community and local government action.[25]
The area continues to be affected by its history of gang violence and drug dealing.[26][27]
Housing corruption
[edit]A scheme started by the South Kilburn Partnership to redevelop the estate was accused of corruption in 2010, when £50 million allocated for the estate's redevelopment went missing.[28]
In popular culture
[edit]The critically acclaimed novelWho They Was,written byGabriel Krauze,recounts his life in South Kilburn, and his experiences around the South Kilburn Estate with gangs, drugs and crime.[29][30]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcHill, Dave (1 March 2012)."London falling: violence, feuds and fear scar the capital's heart".Theguardian.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^ab"Fantastically well-located former 'no-go zone' getting £600m overhaul".Homes and Property.11 September 2018.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^King, Lorraine (12 March 2014)."South Kilburn says goodbye to two tower blocks as part of £660m regeneration project".Kilburn Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Moore, Rowan (10 July 2016)."South Kilburn estate review – homes that are streets ahead".Theguardian.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Miller, Frederica (7 March 2018)."Everything you need to know about 235 new South Kilburn homes".getwestlondon.Retrieved22 November2019.
- ^"South Kilburn | Telford Homes".telfordhomes-ir.london.Retrieved22 November2019.
- ^"Fantastically well-located former 'no-go zone' getting £600m overhaul".Homes and Property.11 September 2018.Retrieved22 November2019.
- ^Raffray, Nathalie (2 May 2019)."Defects in South Kilburn block results in all occupiers forced to move home".Kilburn Times.Retrieved22 November2019.
- ^Raffray, Nathalie (11 October 2019)."Petition launched to stop South Kilburn regeneration ballot so 8,000 others can take part".Kilburn Times.Retrieved22 November2019.
- ^"'Be Brave' Plea over Gun Killer; in Brief "- The Evening Standard (London, England), July 19, 2006".Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2020.
- ^"The Social Affairs Unit - Web Review: The Murder of Toni-Ann Byfield: if future such cases are to be prevented the practice of bringing young children into the UK to be educated / exploited in a welfare-rich country must be challenged, argues Lilian Pizzichini".socialaffairsunit.org.uk.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^abcBloom, Ben (7 June 2012)."Innocent Queen's Park electrician was gunned down in revenge for gangland murder of South Kilburn man".Kilburn Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"The Westminster you don't see".Newstatesman.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Young, Kevin (30 September 2011)."'Postcode' wars blighting estate ".Bbc.co.uk.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"London shooting: 'Postcode' wars blight Mozart Estate".BBC News.30 September 2011.
- ^ab"500 police storm homes to smash gang that terrorised an estate".Evening Standard.18 April 2007.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"17 arrests on crime-ridden estate".This Is Local London.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Ferguson, Kate (18 May 2011)."250 police storm homes in South Kilburn drugs raid".Kilburn Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^McMahon, Glenn (8 April 2011)."Estate gangs clash in Kilburn".Kilburn Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"Man in electrician murder charge".Bbc.co.uk.18 August 2011.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"Teacher killers jailed for 37 years".Bbc.co.uk.12 September 2014.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^ab"Pair injured in Sabrina Moss murder allegedly South Kilburn gang members".Kilburn Times.2 July 2014.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^abKhomami, Nadia (30 May 2017)."Woman shot dead in Kilburn was innocent bystander, witnesses say".Theguardian.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"Woman killed by stray 'gang war' bullet".Bbc.co.uk.5 April 2018.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^King, Lorraine (23 December 2011)."South Kilburn teenager arrested in connection with Mozart Estate drive-by shooting".Hampstead Highgate Express.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Bewley, Hannah (24 January 2013)."Gang arrests made in notorious estate in Kilburn".mylondon.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^King, Lorraine (17 May 2016)."Drugs and deadly weapons found hidden in bushes in South Kilburn".Kilburn Times.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^"Regeneration Boss promises to deliver".Kilburn Times.31 July 2009.Retrieved19 May2019.
- ^Rowland Hill, Matt (29 August 2020)."Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze review – the double life of a London gangster".The Guardian.Retrieved1 June2021.
- ^Marshall, Alex (27 June 2021)."With a Violent Debut, He Reveals a London That Is Rarely Seen".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved27 June2021.