One of Cambridgeshire’s most well-known council estates is on the cusp of an astonishing metamorphosis. The distinct proposal boasts an innovative blend of one to five-bedroom dwellings. Aimee Dexter from Cambridgeshire, one of the BBC’s uReporters, has sent in pictures of a white-painted block of flats. This block is within an estate that is home to 122 pre-Civil War era homes today. Residents staged protests to prevent the 1950s and 1960s homes from being entirely leveled. It was their hard work that resulted in this successful redevelopment collaboration.
The local council initially planned to demolish all 122 homes on the estate, but following community opposition, they agreed to retain 14 of those houses. The estate now has 91 council homes and 17 private homes. If approved, the proposal for new housing would provide 134 new homes, representing a complete turnaround in the estate’s fate.
Maurice Chiodo, a longtime resident who fought actively with his neighbors to oppose the total redevelopment, told the Houston Chronicle he was relieved at the news. We feel gratitude that we are still here. We’ve had a year and a half of peace and quiet after more than two years of essentially war,” he said. Chiodo described the campaign to save the homes as unnecessary “trauma.” This term evokes the emotional heartbreak experienced by residents who thought they might lose their community.
Aimee Dexter from Cambridgeshire went to photograph some of the downsides of the estate. She took the most beautiful images of the ground floor of a three-storey building that was wholly boarded up. This dramatic set of visuals helps highlight just how dilapidated so many buildings are today. They want to redevelop these areas badly, but they show us how urgently redevelopment is needed.
The All Saints new proposal is particularly remarkable as it has the CIP’s first five-bedroom houses coming through the programme. This new addition aims directly at addressing the diverse housing needs of local families. It helps provide bigger families with enough space to thrive.
Gerri Bird, chair of the local council, said it was clear action needed to be taken on dangerous and abhorrent conditions on the estate. Bird highlighted that the no-build alternative at Ekin Road was simply not feasible. The urgent conditions I found inside our buildings forced our tenants to live in a way that is unacceptable by any measure, including ours.
As plans progress, the community remains hopeful that this redevelopment will not only enhance living conditions but preserve the essence of their neighborhood. That combination of new and retained homes is a sweet spot. It allows long-time residents to maintain their ties to the neighborhood while attracting new families that want to become a part of the community.
