Part of a new development of Royal Borough of Greenwich council homes has been named in honour of the late Councillor Christine Grice, who passed away five years ago.
Christine Grice Gardens was opened at a ceremony attended by Cllr Grice’s husband Chris and members of their family, Council Leader Cllr Anthony Okereke, Mayor of Royal Greenwich Cllr Jit Ranabhat, MP for Eltham and Chislehurst Clive Efford and ward councillors past and present.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Brough of Greenwich, said: “Councillor Christine Grice’s dedication to the people of Royal Greenwich was an inspiration to everyone who came into contact with her. From the time of her election as a ward councillor in 2014 to her appointment as Deputy Leader of the Council in 2020 she fought tirelessly to champion fairness and equality for all in our borough.
“We have named part of this beautiful new social housing development after Cllr Grice to honour her memory. The council has built these homes in her former ward for those most in need across the borough, the kind of people Cllr Grice worked so hard to help. These sustainable houses will give people the safety and security they need to build healthy, happy lives, and we hope this is an honour befitting her legacy.”
Councillor Christine Grice was elected in May 2014 as the representative for the then Kidbrooke with Hornfair ward, and served as Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources from 2018 before being named Deputy Leader of the Council shortly before her death in 2020.
Among her achievements was developing a Fairness Commission together with Cllr Linda Bird, helping to establish the Council Tax support scheme and serving on multiple panels and boards, including the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel and the Planning Board.
The gardens named in Cllr Grice’s honour are part of The Brooks development, which will eventually provide 80 zero carbon council homes, among 1,750 properties being created by the council for local people on the housing register.
The Brooks also incorporates £750,000 worth of improvements to the local area including the creation of two new parks and an overhauled and upgraded local play area.
The first phase of the scheme at Halsbrook Road is now complete and consists of 18 new two and three-bedroom houses with private gardens.
Tenants, many of whom had spent years in temporary accommodation before moving to the new development, described their homes as “amazing”, “very energy efficient”, “so quiet and warm”, while others expressed their excitement and gratitude, saying “thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful home, I love it!”.
The remaining two phases of the development are in the final stages of completion with tenants due to move in later this year. Of the 80 homes, eight will be wheelchair adapted in line with a commitment for 10 per cent of all Royal Greenwich council homes to be wheelchair accessible.
Of the 1,750 homes the council has committed to build, over 740 are either complete or under construction, with further sites submitted for planning consideration.
The council would like to thank contractor Elkins Construction for providing catering and refreshments for all the guests and tenants at the event.
