Plans to demolish most of Cambridge council estate approved
It's a decision that's divided opinion
Plans to redevelop Ekin Road in Cambridge have taken a step forward after a “long and torturous” process.
Cambridge City Council has agreed to progress plans to demolish the flats and most of the houses in the estate in order to build new homes in their place.
However, the community in the area remains divided on what is best for the estate, with some calling for a full demolition, while others argue more houses should be saved.
The city council has been considering its options to regenerate the Ekin Road estate for a number of years.
The authority looked at three main options, including refurbishing the homes, partial redevelopment, and the complete redevelopment of the estate.
A report published earlier this year suggested that the full redevelopment was the “least worst option”.
However, the city council faced backlash from some people living in the estate about the potential demolition of all the homes.
Following discussions with the community the city council came forward with plans to partially redevelop Ekin Road, saving 14 houses to the south of the estate from demolition.
At a city council housing scrutiny committee meeting this week (June 18) councillors were asked to support moving forward with the partial redevelopment option.
Councillor Gerri Bird, executive councillor for housing, said she hoped the city council confirming its plans for the estate would mean people could “finally plan for the future”.
However, some of those living on the estate told the meeting that they were not completely happy with the plans.
Darren Easton, from the group Residents of Ekin Road to Redevelop It, said the houses and flats in Ekin Road were in “serious trouble” and argued “every single property should be demolished to let Ekin Road have a new lease of life”.
One of the Ekin Road homeowners said in a statement to the city council that they “wholeheartedly approve” of the redevelopment proposals, even though it would see their home demolished.
They said the flats and “many of the houses” in the estate were “poor quality and in urgent need of upgrading”. They added that some of the homes were “quite simply not safe to live in”.
However, Dr Maurice Chiodo, from the Save Ekin Road campaign group, called for a further six houses on the estate to also be kept.
He told the meeting that there were some people for whom it would be “absolutely devastating” to have to move.
Cllr Bird said the city council had listened to the mixture of views on the estate about what should be done and said she was aware of the conditions some people were living in, particularly in the flats.
She said: “This estate has undergone a thorough options appraisal process to review the opportunities for the future of the estate.
“It is important that this work was done carefully and thoroughly as it impacts a large number of homes.
“Everything has been carefully considered, including the current condition of the estate and feedback from the community.”
Cllr Bird said of the six houses in question, there were three freeholders who were willing to sell and three tenants who she said the city council was meeting with.
She explained that the city council was planning to move the tenants together, so that they could still be neighbours.
Cllr Bird added that it was important for the city council to “finally make a decision” and said people impacted by the plans would continue to be supported.
Councillor Jenny Gawthrope Wood said she had “confidence” in the city council’s housing team to be able to move the tenants into new homes.
She said her mother in law had been impacted by a similar redevelopment in the city and had been rehomed after being put on emergency banding to a new home, which she said was “a lot more suitable to her needs”.
Councillor Elliot Tong said he was “delighted” about the plans to put the tenants still living in the Ekin Road flats on emergency banding in order to prioritise finding them new council homes. He said the conditions of some of the flats people were living in was “truly dreadful”.
He added that the decision to keep the 14 houses was “appreciated”, but said he thought the council could go further.
Cllr Tong said the houses still included in the demolition plans did have issues, but argued they could be refurbished, and said there were still many people who did not want to lose their homes.
He proposed an amendment to the proposals to exclude the additional six houses from the redevelopment.
However, this proposed amendment failed to get enough support from the scrutiny committee members.
Councillor Dave Baigent said it appeared the council was reaching a “fairly good conclusion”, however he said it had been a “long and torturous” process.
He also asked why the city council had needed to employ consultants as part of the development of the plans, which he said he understood “cost a great deal of money”.
Ben Binns, the assistant director of development, place group at the city council, said they needed to appoint consultants when there was an internal skills gap at the city council, for example when it came to assessing the different options for the estate.
He said appointing consultants did cost money, but explained without them they would not have a “full picture” and would not therefore be able to make a “fully informed decision”.
Councillor Cameron Holloway said any option was “never going to work for everyone”, but said he hoped the current plans would hopefully work for most people.
A majority of the committee voted to support moving forward with the partial redevelopment proposals for the estate.