TA Campaign win: London Hotel Group commits to reopening green space for families at Gilroy Court

Following sustained campaigning by residents and our Temporary Accommodation Group, London Hotel Group has committed to reopening the fenced-off green space at Gilroy Court within the next six months.

We are pleased to share a significant campaign win for residents living at Gilroy Court, a temporary accommodation block in Croydon owned and run by London Hotel Group.

For more than three years, families at Gilroy Court have been unable to use the outdoor space attached to the accommodation. Many of the families living there are raising children in hotel-style temporary accommodation, often without access to safe, suitable green space nearby.

The commitment was made at the end of April during a roundtable discussion hosted by Inside Housing in association with London Hotel Group. Rhi Hughes, our Campaigns, Policy and Community Manager, attended the discussion, which focused on the affordability and availability of temporary accommodation in London.

During the discussion, London Hotel Group Director Moher Nawab confirmed that the green space at Gilroy Court would be opened to residents within six months.

Rhi Hughes, Campaigns, Policy and Community Manager at South West London Law Centres, said:

“Families living in temporary accommodation need safe, usable outdoor space, especially where children are being brought up in hotel-style accommodation for long periods of time.

“We welcome the commitment from London Hotel Group to reopen the green space at Gilroy Court within the next six months. This is a real campaign win for residents who have been raising this issue for years.

“But reopening the space is only the first step. Residents must be involved in deciding how that space is designed, managed and kept safe. The answer to previous issues cannot be to close outdoor space off from families altogether. The answer has to be working with the people who live there, listening to what they need, and creating something that is genuinely suitable for young families.”

The commitment follows an open letter written by residents and our Temporary Accommodation Group to Croydon Council at the end of 2023. The letter set out residents’ concerns about conditions in temporary accommodation and called for improvements, including access to outdoor space at Gilroy Court.

Following that letter, Croydon Council agreed to explore options to make outdoor spaces within council-run temporary accommodation more usable for families. As Gilroy Court is privately owned, the council was unable to make the same commitment for that site.

Now that London Hotel Group has made this commitment, we are calling on the company to ensure residents are fully involved in shaping how the space is reopened, designed, managed and kept safe.

We know there have previously been concerns about people who do not live at Gilroy Court using the space, including concerns around drug use. These issues must be taken seriously. But the answer cannot be to close off green space from families altogether. The answer must be to work with residents to create a safe and suitable space for the people who are forced to raise their families there.

We have also encouraged London Hotel Group to establish resident engagement meetings in its temporary accommodation blocks. After our open letter to Croydon Council, bimonthly resident engagement meetings were established at Windsor Court and Concord House. These meetings have created a space for residents to raise issues, discuss possible actions and seek accountability.

Temporary accommodation should be temporary. But while families continue to spend months and often years in these settings, their voices must be heard and their living conditions must improve.

Rhi added:

“This win shows why resident voice matters. Families know what needs to change in the places they are living, and they should be part of the decisions that affect their daily lives.”

As part of the Better TA Alliance, we continue to work with residents and partner organisations to improve conditions in temporary accommodation while campaigning towards ending the use of long-term temporary accommodation by 2035.

We will continue to monitor progress on the green space at Gilroy Court and support residents to hold London Hotel Group to its commitment.