Defying demolition: Residents at southeast London estate fight for their homes
HOUSING REBELLION
Residents at the Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood fear they may be forced to move from their homes and community, as property developer Peabody plans to demolish the estate.
Maria Ivanova is a language teacher, with two university degrees to boot.
She is also a homeowner, having bought her home on the Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood over 16 years ago.
But now, like many resident homeowners here, Maria fears her home and tight-knit community will be torn apart by developer Peabody’s “regeneration” plans.
Approved by Bexley Council in 2022, the plans will see the construction of 1,950 new homes, as part of the new South Thamesmead development, just a stone’s throw from the new Elizabeth Line station at Abbey Wood.
‘For them, this is profitable. For me, it is losing my house.’
Maria has lived on Lesnes Estate for over 15 years. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
In 2020, housing developer Peabody – who has administered the estate since 2014 – hired Civica Election Services to hold a ballot on the estate, asking residents if they were in favour of regeneration plans. 70% voted in favour; 30% voted against.
But homeowning residents like Maria say the ballot was misleading, and treated homeowners the same as any other residents on the estate.
“We are homeowners. I am a homeowner. They want to take our land. They don’t think about the homeowners, whose homes they’re taking. They don’t have anything in their plan they can give us like for like.”
Central to Maria’s frustrations are the cost of the homes Peabody plans to build on the estate once demolition is completed.
Several residents say the new homes are simply unaffordable. Many are more than double the valuation the Peabody-appointed independent chartered surveyor has given for their current homes, Maria said.
If approved, the plans will see the demolition of the current estate and the construction of 1,950 new homes. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Some might think Peabody’s offer isn’t a bad deal.
Peabody claims that residents whose current homes are valued at less than the property they would like to move into are entitled to a “home loss payment” worth an additional 10% on top of the value of their current home.
They are also eligible for a loan to cover the difference in cost. This “fixed equity loan”is available for up to 50% of the price of the new home.
But Maria isn’t convinced.
“It is a good deal for them”, she said. “To make a profit on our behalf, on our hard-worked investment. This is my only house.”
Responding to a request for a demonstration of Peabody’s offer, a spokesperson for the developer said that if a residents home is valued at £250,000 and they wished to move into a new property valued at £400,000, they would receive an additional £25,000 as a home loss payment, with Peabody loaning the additional £125,000.
However, like other residents, Maria has attended viewings organised by Peabody to see the new homes on offer. She said her current home, a four-bedroom terraced house with a small garden, was valued at £275,000, including the home-loss payment.
But, she says, an equivalent four-bedroom house she was shown was valued at £600,000, over double her valuation. Maria says she simply cannot afford an equivalent home, even if she was to accept the loan.
Above all, Maria worries about the community they have built at Lesnes being forced apart.
“We will not be able to communicate with each other, to be friends again, to do social things, to do walks to the park, or go to see the swans in the lake. This will destroy the community.
“I would like to have my own house for my children, and my grandchildren to visit me so I can feel like a grandma, not a worker anymore. For 50 years I have worked hard”, she said.
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have any options. This is my big worry. Maybe we will go to court. I don’t think that it’s going to be in our favour… I don’t know”, she said with a sigh.
‘We are like family’
Julius and his wife have brought up a family on the Lesnes Estate. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Julius, who has lived on the estate for 22 years, shares Maria’s worry.
With three young children to support, Julius said the looming prospect of demolition has affected his mental health.
He said the estate is a place of solace for him, as he values having friends who speak his language and share his cultural heritage.
The first residents moved to the area in the 1960s to escape the cramped and overcrowded slums of inner-city London.
Over the years, communities of migrants fleeing their own countries also moved into the area, with a prominent Nigerian and Ghanaian diaspora forming since.
“In this place, we are like family… The people. I have my neighbours. They are like a family to me.
“They are trying to break us apart. They are putting us under stress. For me, my friends… Everybody is stressed out.
“I’m not happy, I’m stressed, I’m disorganised. It makes my mind crazy, I don’t know what to think about it, I don’t know what to do.
“We keep thinking: where are we going? What are we going to do? I’m used to the people here. They are trying to break us into pieces… I don’t know how to put it.
“They are terrifying us,” he said.
As a homeowner like Maria, Julius believes he hasn’t been treated fairly, and worries that if he is forced to move, he will not be able to find similar affordable accommodation for his family given the price of Peabody’s offering.
“I don’t want to move. This is my home. I bought it. I don’t want to move. With my age, I don’t think I can afford anything now.”
‘They need to come to us on our terms’
“If Peabody wants to move us out of here… Not on their terms; They need to come to us on our terms,” said homeowner Mavis.
Mavis and Laurence Adopapo, two of the many British-Ghanaian residents on the estate, have joined other residents to form an association to fight against demolition.
Instead, they believe retrofitting and refurbishment is the most environmentally and community-friendly approach to regenerating the estate, the condition of which has slowly declined since its construction in the 1960s.
But Mavis says nobody is listening:
“We have no voice. We have been to the council for different meetings. Nobody even listens.
“I feel they don’t care. We have an association here. We’ve been to Bexley Council twice, to public hearing meetings, we shared our voice, but nothing much has been done.”
“Letters have been written from the community to the MP, but the responses aren’t great. I don’t think they care.”
Lesnes Estate Homeowners Association protested at City Hall in October. CREDIT: HOUSING REBELLION
Currently, Peabody’s proposals for the Lesnes Estate are awaiting a Stage 2 confirmation from Mayor Sadiq Khan. Asked what Mavis and her husband will do if Peabody’s plans are approved, their position is clear:
“That can be their thought”, Mavis said.
“But nobody can force me to move out of here. This is a personal property we have bought. If Peabody wants to move us out of here… Not on their terms; They need to come to us on our terms.”
Along with the pricing of the new homes, Mavis is frustrated that it is unclear whether the loan can be passed on to family members. Ideally, she would like to leave her property to her children, who grew up on the estate.
“Our mortgage is nearly finished. We have children and grandchildren. I cannot afford a one-bedroom flat within the locality. What am I going to leave for my children? This is all that I have,” she said.
Laurence Adopapo has joined other residents to form an association to fight against demolition. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Peabody’s current offer to residents says that only in “some circumstances” may the loan, and therefore the property, be passed on to family members.
Peabody has yet to respond to a request for the circumstances in which this may be the case.
Responding to claims that Peabody’s plans are unaffordable for many homeowners and may break apart the community at Lesnes, a spokesperson for Peabody defended the proposals:
“Redevelopment is the very best option for the estate and will deliver better quality homes for local people, while helping to address the housing shortage.
“We want the community to stay together. That’s why we’re offering all Peabody tenants and resident homeowners a new home in the neighbouring new development at no additional cost. We’re also covering moving costs, including packing and removal.”
“We appointed an independent chartered surveyor to value the homes and many homeowners have been pleased to accept our offer of 10% more than the market value for their property.”
A spokesperson for the Lesnes Estate Residents’ Association refuted this claim, saying that “nearly all” homeowning residents rejected the proposals, labelling the offer “derisory”.
Peabody has yet to respond to a request to confirm the exact number of homeowners who rejected their offer.
Submitted Article
HeadlineDefying Demolition: Residents at South-East London estate fight for their homes
Short HeadlineResidents at South-East London Estate Fight for Homes
StandfirstResidents at South-East London’s Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood fear they may be forced to move from their homes and community, as property developer Peabody plans to demolish the estate.
Published Article
HeadlineDefying demolition: Residents at southeast London estate fight for their homes
Short HeadlineSoutheast London estate residents fight against demolition
StandfirstResidents at the Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood fear they may be forced to move from their homes and community, as property developer Peabody plans to demolish the estate.
Maria Ivanova is a language teacher, with two university degrees to boot.
She is also a homeowner, having bought her home on the Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood over 16 years ago.
But now, like many resident homeowners here, Maria fears her home and tight-knit community are going to be torn apart by developer Peabody’s ‘regeneration’ plans.
Approved by Bexley Council in 2022, the plans will see the construction of 1,950 new homes in total, as part of a new development called ‘South Thamesmead’, just a stones throw from the new Elizabeth Line station at Abbey Wood.
“For them, this is profitable. For me, it is losing my house.”
In 2020, housing developer Peabody – who have administered the Estate since 2014 – hired independent body Civica Election Services to hold a ballot on the Estate, asking residents if they were in favour of regeneration plans. 70% voted in favour; 30% voted against.
But homeowning residents like Maria say the ballot was misleading, and treated homeowners the same as any other residents on the estate.
“We are homeowners. I am a homeowner. They want to take our land. They don’t think about the homeowners, which home’s they’re taking. They don’t have anything in their plan they can give us like for like.”
Central to Maria’s frustrations are the cost of the homes Peabody plans to build on the Estate once the demolition is complete.
Several residents say the new homes are simply unaffordable. Many are more than double the valuation the Peabody-appointed independent chartered surveyor has given for their current homes, Maria says.
Some might think Peabody’s offer isn’t a bad deal. Peabody claim that residents who’s current homes are valued at less than the property they would like to move into are entitled to a ‘home loss payment’ – worth an additional 10% on top of the value of their current home – and a loan to cover the difference in cost. This ‘Fixed Equity Loan’ is available for up to 50% of the price of the new home.
But Maria isn’t convinced.
“It is a good deal for them”, she says. “To make profit on our behalf, on our hard working investment. This is my only house.”
Responding to a request for a demonstration of Peabody’s offer, a spokesperson for the developer said that if a residents home is valued at £250,000, and they wished to move into a new property valued at £400,000, they would receive an additional £25,000 as a home loss payment, with Peabody loaning the additional £125,000.
However, like other residents, Maria has attended viewings organised by Peabody to see the new homes on offer. She says her current home – a 4 bedroom terraced house with a small garden- was valued at £275,000, including the home-loss payment.
But, she says, an equivalent 4 bedroomed house she was shown was valued at nearly £600,000, over double her valuation. Maria says she simply cannot afford an equivalent home, even if she was to accept the loan.
Above all, Maria worries about the community they have built at Lesnes being forced apart.
“We will not be able to communicate with each other, to be friends again, to do social things, to do walks to the park, or go to see the swans in the lake. This will destroy the community.”
I would like to have my own house for my children, my grandchildren to visit me so I can feel like a grandma, not a worker anymore. For 50 years I have worked hard.”, she says.
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have any options. This is my big worry. Maybe we will go to court. I don’t think that its going to be in our favour… I don’t know”, she says with a sigh.
“In this place, we are like family”
Julius and his wife have brought up a family on the Lesnes Estate
Julius, who’s lived on the Estate for 22 years, shares Maria’s worry.
With three young children to support, Julius says the looming prospect of demolition has effected his mental health. In a predominantly white area he says the estate is a place of solace for him, with Nigerian and Ghanian immigrants reshaping the areas demography.
“In this place, we are like family. The people. I have my neighbours. They are like a family to me.
“They are trying to break us apart. They are putting us in stress. For me, my friends – everybody is stressed out.
I’m not happy, I’m stressful, I’m disorganized. It makes my mind crazy, I don’t know what to think about, I don’t know what to do.
We keep thinking: where are we going? What are we going to do? I’m used to the people here. They are trying to break us into pieces – I don’t know how to put it.
They are terrifying us.”
As a homeowner like Maria, Julius believes he hasn’t been treated fairly, and worries that if he is forced to move, he wont be able to find similar affordable accommodation for his family given the price of Peabody’s offering.
“I don’t want to move. This is my home. I bought it. I don’t want to move. With my age I don’t think I can afford anything now.”
“They need to come to us on our terms”
Mavis and Laurence Adopapo – two of many British-Ghanian residents on the estate – have joined with other residents to form an association to fight against demolition.
Instead, they believe retrofitting and refurbishment is the most environmentally and community-friendly approach to regenerating the Estate, the condition of which has slowly declined since it’s construction in the 1960’s.
But Mavis says nobody is listening:
“We have no voice. We have been to the Council for different meetings. Nobody even listens.
I feel they don’t care. We have an association here. We’ve been to Bexley Council twice to public hearing meetings, we shared our voice, but nothing much has been done.
Letters have been written from the community to the MP, but the responses aren’t great. I don’t think they care.”
Currently, Peabody’s proposals for the Lesnes Estate are awaiting a Stage 2 confirmation from Mayor Sadiq Khan. Asked what Mavis and her husband will do if Peabody’s plans are approved, their position is clear:
“That can be their thought.”, Mavis says. “But nobody can force me to move out of here. This is a personal property we have bought. If Peabody wants to move us out of here – not on their terms. They need to come to us on our terms.”
Laurence Adopapo
Along with the pricing of the new homes, Mavis is frustrated that it is unclear whether the loan can be passed on to family members. Ideally, she would like to leave her property to her children, who grew up on the Estate.
“Our mortgage is nearly finished. We have children and grandchildren. I cannot afford a one bedroom flat within the locality. What am I going to leave for my children? This is all that I have.”, she says.
Currently, Peabody’s offer to residents says that only in ‘some circumstances’ may the loan, and therefore the property, be passed on to family members.
Peabody have yet to respond to a request for the circumstances in which this may be the case.
Responding to claims that Peabody’s plans may break apart the community at Lesnes, a spokesperson for Peabody defended the proposals:
“Redevelopment is the very best option for the estate and will deliver better quality homes for local people, while helping to address the housing shortage.
“We want the community to stay together. That’s why we’re offering all Peabody tenants and resident homeowners a new home in the neighbouring new development at no additional cost. We’re also covering moving costs, including packing and removal.”
“We appointed an independent chartered surveyor to value the homes and many homeowners have been pleased to accept our offer of 10 percent more than the market value for their property.”
However, a spokesperson for the Lesnes Estate residents association refuted this claim, saying that ‘nearly all’ homeowning residents rejected the proposals, labelling the offer ‘derisory’.
Peabody have yet to respond to a request to confirm the exact number of homeowners that rejected their offer.
Maria Ivanova is a language teacher, with two university degrees to boot.
She is also a homeowner, having bought her home on the Lesnes Estate in Abbey Wood over 16 years ago.
But now, like many resident homeowners here, Maria fears her home and tight-knit community will be torn apart by developer Peabody’s “regeneration” plans.
Approved by Bexley Council in 2022, the plans will see the construction of 1,950 new homes, as part of the new South Thamesmead development, just a stone’s throw from the new Elizabeth Line station at Abbey Wood.
‘For them, this is profitable. For me, it is losing my house.’
Maria has lived on Lesnes Estate for over 15 years. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
In 2020, housing developer Peabody – who has administered the estate since 2014 – hired Civica Election Services to hold a ballot on the estate, asking residents if they were in favour of regeneration plans. 70% voted in favour; 30% voted against.
But homeowning residents like Maria say the ballot was misleading, and treated homeowners the same as any other residents on the estate.
“We are homeowners. I am a homeowner. They want to take our land. They don’t think about the homeowners, whose homes they’re taking. They don’t have anything in their plan they can give us like for like.”
Central to Maria’s frustrations are the cost of the homes Peabody plans to build on the estate once demolition is completed.
Several residents say the new homes are simply unaffordable. Many are more than double the valuation the Peabody-appointed independent chartered surveyor has given for their current homes, Maria said.
If approved, the plans will see the demolition of the current estate and the construction of 1,950 new homes. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Some might think Peabody’s offer isn’t a bad deal.
Peabody claims that residents whose current homes are valued at less than the property they would like to move into are entitled to a “home loss payment” worth an additional 10% on top of the value of their current home.
They are also eligible for a loan to cover the difference in cost. This “fixed equity loan”is available for up to 50% of the price of the new home.
But Maria isn’t convinced.
“It is a good deal for them”, she said. “To make a profit on our behalf, on our hard-worked investment. This is my only house.”
Responding to a request for a demonstration of Peabody’s offer, a spokesperson for the developer said that if a residents home is valued at £250,000 and they wished to move into a new property valued at £400,000, they would receive an additional £25,000 as a home loss payment, with Peabody loaning the additional £125,000.
However, like other residents, Maria has attended viewings organised by Peabody to see the new homes on offer. She said her current home, a four-bedroom terraced house with a small garden, was valued at £275,000, including the home-loss payment.
But, she says, an equivalent four-bedroom house she was shown was valued at £600,000, over double her valuation. Maria says she simply cannot afford an equivalent home, even if she was to accept the loan.
Above all, Maria worries about the community they have built at Lesnes being forced apart.
“We will not be able to communicate with each other, to be friends again, to do social things, to do walks to the park, or go to see the swans in the lake. This will destroy the community.
“I would like to have my own house for my children, and my grandchildren to visit me so I can feel like a grandma, not a worker anymore. For 50 years I have worked hard”, she said.
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have any options. This is my big worry. Maybe we will go to court. I don’t think that it’s going to be in our favour… I don’t know”, she said with a sigh.
‘We are like family’
Julius and his wife have brought up a family on the Lesnes Estate. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Julius, who has lived on the estate for 22 years, shares Maria’s worry.
With three young children to support, Julius said the looming prospect of demolition has affected his mental health.
He said the estate is a place of solace for him, as he values having friends who speak his language and share his cultural heritage.
The first residents moved to the area in the 1960s to escape the cramped and overcrowded slums of inner-city London.
Over the years, communities of migrants fleeing their own countries also moved into the area, with a prominent Nigerian and Ghanaian diaspora forming since.
“In this place, we are like family… The people. I have my neighbours. They are like a family to me.
“They are trying to break us apart. They are putting us under stress. For me, my friends… Everybody is stressed out.
“I’m not happy, I’m stressed, I’m disorganised. It makes my mind crazy, I don’t know what to think about it, I don’t know what to do.
“We keep thinking: where are we going? What are we going to do? I’m used to the people here. They are trying to break us into pieces… I don’t know how to put it.
“They are terrifying us,” he said.
As a homeowner like Maria, Julius believes he hasn’t been treated fairly, and worries that if he is forced to move, he will not be able to find similar affordable accommodation for his family given the price of Peabody’s offering.
“I don’t want to move. This is my home. I bought it. I don’t want to move. With my age, I don’t think I can afford anything now.”
‘They need to come to us on our terms’
“If Peabody wants to move us out of here… Not on their terms; They need to come to us on our terms,” said homeowner Mavis.
Mavis and Laurence Adopapo, two of the many British-Ghanaian residents on the estate, have joined other residents to form an association to fight against demolition.
Instead, they believe retrofitting and refurbishment is the most environmentally and community-friendly approach to regenerating the estate, the condition of which has slowly declined since its construction in the 1960s.
But Mavis says nobody is listening:
“We have no voice. We have been to the council for different meetings. Nobody even listens.
“I feel they don’t care. We have an association here. We’ve been to Bexley Council twice, to public hearing meetings, we shared our voice, but nothing much has been done.”
“Letters have been written from the community to the MP, but the responses aren’t great. I don’t think they care.”
Lesnes Estate Homeowners Association protested at City Hall in October. CREDIT: HOUSING REBELLION
Currently, Peabody’s proposals for the Lesnes Estate are awaiting a Stage 2 confirmation from Mayor Sadiq Khan. Asked what Mavis and her husband will do if Peabody’s plans are approved, their position is clear:
“That can be their thought”, Mavis said.
“But nobody can force me to move out of here. This is a personal property we have bought. If Peabody wants to move us out of here… Not on their terms; They need to come to us on our terms.”
Along with the pricing of the new homes, Mavis is frustrated that it is unclear whether the loan can be passed on to family members. Ideally, she would like to leave her property to her children, who grew up on the estate.
“Our mortgage is nearly finished. We have children and grandchildren. I cannot afford a one-bedroom flat within the locality. What am I going to leave for my children? This is all that I have,” she said.
Laurence Adopapo has joined other residents to form an association to fight against demolition. CREDIT: MICHAEL GAUGHAN
Peabody’s current offer to residents says that only in “some circumstances” may the loan, and therefore the property, be passed on to family members.
Peabody has yet to respond to a request for the circumstances in which this may be the case.
Responding to claims that Peabody’s plans are unaffordable for many homeowners and may break apart the community at Lesnes, a spokesperson for Peabody defended the proposals:
“Redevelopment is the very best option for the estate and will deliver better quality homes for local people, while helping to address the housing shortage.
“We want the community to stay together. That’s why we’re offering all Peabody tenants and resident homeowners a new home in the neighbouring new development at no additional cost. We’re also covering moving costs, including packing and removal.”
“We appointed an independent chartered surveyor to value the homes and many homeowners have been pleased to accept our offer of 10% more than the market value for their property.”
A spokesperson for the Lesnes Estate Residents’ Association refuted this claim, saying that “nearly all” homeowning residents rejected the proposals, labelling the offer “derisory”.
Peabody has yet to respond to a request to confirm the exact number of homeowners who rejected their offer.
