Alton estate should be revamped not demolished, say residents

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A group of residents on an estate that was partially earmarked for demolition say homes plagued by damp and mould should be revamped instead of knocked down.

They claim flats in the old demolition zone on the Alton Estate in Roehampton were not maintained while proposals to knock them down and build more than 1,000 new homes were being proposed for almost a decade.

Plans under Wandsworth council’s old administration would have seen 288 homes demolished and replaced, with 1,108 homes built – including 261 affordable homes.

Regeneration plans were formally drawn up in 2014, but had been discussed for years before.

But the authority scrapped the masterplan after switching hands from Conservative to Labour for the first time in 44 years at the local elections last May.

The new administration argued the plan did not include enough council homes – with a net gain of 48 at social rent, according to a report in September.

The council is drawing up new proposals to present for consultation, along with short-term works. This means the immediate threat of demolition has been withdrawn, but nothing is off the table.

Community group Alton Action put forward a vision for the estate focussed on alternatives to demolition, drawn up in response to the old masterplan.

The plan calls for more council homes to be built, along with the refurbishment of most flats, shops and facilities in the old demolition zone. It also proposes new shops, including a bigger supermarket, community facilities and workspaces.

Angus Robertson moved on to the estate in 2003 and said the old plans would have been “disastrous,” with years of disruption for few positives.

He claimed the council did not prove the blocks needed to be demolished and instead “let the buildings decline” to say “look at it – it’s all falling into disrepair, we might as well knock it down”.

Mr Robertson said: “We’ve now had nine years nearly of that happening so these buildings compared to the other bits of the estate are in far worse repair.

“Roofs, windows, doors – all those things that have been routinely replaced elsewhere – have been left. So people have got very cold places that are hard to heat, lots of damp and mould.”

He said shared spaces have not been maintained either, including doors, entry systems and lifts.

Mr Robertson said Roehampton is “isolated” in terms of transport and the old plans would have been like “dropping a new town into an already busy area”.

A Wandsworth council spokeswoman said: “The council is actively listening to the views and ideas of residents as it reviews options for the regeneration of the Alton area and provision of new council rent homes.

“We are still committed to investing in and improving the estate and a programme of improvement works are being brought forward to improve the lives of people living in the Alton Estate in advance of any wider proposals which will be fully consulted on.”

Pictured top: Angus Robertson on the Alton Estate, Roehampton (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite)