THE TRA & COMMITTEE

Devon Mansions and Harland House Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) is a voluntary organisation formed by residents and leaseholder a like, of the Devon Mansions and Hartland House buildings in London Borough of Southwark (LBS).

Elected Devon Mansions and Hartland House T&RA Officers:

·         David (Chair)

·         Charlie (Deputy Chair)

·         Ina (Treasurer)

·         Janet (Secretary)

TRA officers were elected in May 2025.

What are Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations?

Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations in the London Borough of Southwark (LBS) is home to 13 residents’ groups. These groups are primarily tenants’ and residents’ associations (TRAs), ranging from social housing estates to private mansion blocks, and representing a strong and important resident voice in the borough.

The term ‘residents’ group’ is used to describe the range of groups or societies into which residents can organise themselves, for example Neighbourhood Watch or campaigning groups. By definition, a TRA is made up of people who specifically live within its defined catchment area, rather than people with an interest in that area (such as a Friends group) or in a wider-ranging issue (such as poverty, social mobility, disability, or age). So whilst a TRA is a residents’ group, a residents’ group is not necessarily a TRA. As such, TRAs are location-based community groups which play a crucial part in grassroots organising and place-based approaches to community engagement. TRAs encourage and facilitate civic involvement and community spirit by providing an important opportunity for residents to engage with one another and influence decision making in a meaningful way. As a result, TRAs are some of the Council’s most important organised community stakeholders.

How does the Council engage with TRAs?

TRAs and the Council Different local authorities engage with their TRAs in very different ways. In London Borough of Southwark (LBS), because there are so many TRAs and because they are so active, the relationship is one of recognition and support.

The Community Engagement Team maintains a database of all TRAs in the borough, allowing us to notify them of, and consult them on, relevant planning applications or other Council activity which might affect them and their members. This direct line of communication connects the Council with the community, enabling residents to voice their opinions and concerns in an organised and inclusive way.

The LBS Community Engagement Team also provides dedicated support to both established and developing TRAs, as well as to residents interested in starting a TRA from scratch. The Community Engagement Team brokers relationships between TRAs, Council services and other community groups, as well as offering bespoke guidance on issues from governance to communications. In this way, the Council is able to maintain mutually beneficial, constructive relationships with the borough’s diverse associations.

Location

The Devon Mansions and Hartland House buildings are located on five separate sites spanning a distance of approximately 600 m along the south side of Tooley Street. Details of the five buildings are as follows:

- Building 1 (blocks 1–3) is located between Barnham Street and Druid Street, opposite Potters Fields Park and the More London complex.

- Building 2 (blocks 4–7) is located between Fair Street and Tower Bridge Road, opposite the former St Olave's Grammar School and statues commemorating Ernest Bevin, British Labour leader, and Samuel Bourne Bevington, the first Mayor of Bermondsey.

- Building 3 (blocks 8–13). Building 3 is located between Tower Bridge Road and Fair Street, opposite Shad Thames. Block 8, with its decorative fire escape, bears the marks of demolition — an adjoining block was demolished to make way for the new Tower Bridge Road in 1902. Block 13, although part of Building 3, is known as Hartland House. Hartland House was originally a public/beer house of some description although there are no remnants of its earlier life, other than a picture in the local studies library which is testament to this fact. It is likely that the pub was converted into flats quite soon after the buildings were built as the Ordnance Survey only ever recorded it as a PH (public house) on one edition. It was known as the City of Salisbury Public House, 198 Tooley Street.

- Building 4 (blocks 14–19) is located between Fair Street and Tanner Street, opposite Shad Thames.

- Building 5 (blocks 20–21) is located between Tanner Street and Sweeney Crescent, opposite the southern end of St Saviour's Dock.

The nearest stations are Tower Hill (District and Circle lines), London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern and national rail), and Bermondsey (Jubilee line) each about 10–15 minutes' walk away. The walk towards London Bridge or Tower Hill is extremely scenic, particularly at night, with views of many landmarks such as City Hall, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Devon Mansions are also served by London bus routes 188, 47, N47, 381, N381, 343 and RV1.