Three-quarters of residents at London estate vote in favour of 2,000-home regeneration via ballot

News23.03.204.00 PM by Dominic Brady

Residents of a large London estate have voted overwhelmingly in favour of regenerating their area in a ballot.

Kingston’s Cambridge Road Estate will have a minimum of 114 additional council homes

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The Cambridge Road Estate in Kingston will now be regenerated with more than 2,000 new homes, including a minimum of 114 additional council homes.

With a turnout of 86%, 73% of eligible residents voted in favour of regeneration plans that will include “greener” homes, new gardens and play areas.

The 820-home estate is the largest in the borough and has been the subject of regeneration plans since 2015, when it was awarded £46m under then-mayor Boris Johnson’s Housing Zones initiative.

Countryside Properties is Kingston Council’s development partner for the regeneration.

Liz Green, leader of Kingston Council, said: “We committed to this ballot as we believe it is right that residents have the opportunity to decide their future and that of the whole of Cambridge Road Estate. Residents have sent a clear message of support for these new homes, including more council homes, and a neighbourhood that the community deserves.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan announced in 2018 that estate regeneration schemes would be subject to resident ballots in order to give greater consideration to the impact that plans have on local people. This is one of the largest to be carried out so far.

Emily Davey, portfolio holder for housing at the council, said: “The result of the ballot means we can radically change the lives of residents on the estate. We can provide warm, safe homes which will be cheaper for residents to run.

“The ballot changed the dynamics of the planning to redevelop the estate. It has ensured that residents have been and will be at the heart of what the council does.”

Two weeks ago, housing secretary Robert Jenrick wrote to Sadiq Khan to block him from publishing his London Plan, which Mr Jenrick claimed included “a series of onerous conditions on estate regeneration schemes”.