Efforts to demolish a 1960s housing development and replace it with modern properties have been halted after five years of planning.
In a decisive move, Breckland councillors voted 9-3 against the redevelopment plans, effectively preserving the Abbey Estate in Thetford, Norfolk.
The Flagship housing group, the developers behind the proposal, had envisioned a 20-year transformation of the 92-acre estate. Their £250 million regeneration plan aimed to replace existing homes with new constructions in this closely-knit community.
However, during a recent planning meeting, Breckland Council denied approval for the ambitious project, citing the potential negative impacts that were highlighted during discussions.
Local residents have been outspoken in their opposition, expressing concerns that the redevelopment would dismantle their community and force them out of homes many have cherished for decades.
Fiona Khiane, 58, whose three-bedroom house was set to be replaced by a parking lot under the proposal, expressed her relief, saying, “I’m so thrilled for everyone.”
Mrs Khiane had made an passionate speech at the meeting in which she said the people on the estate were ‘not just statistics on an index of deprivation’.
The estate falls within the top 10 per cent of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England – but many residents love it there.
Plans to tear down a 1960s housing estate (pictured) and replace it with ‘modern, mixed’ properties have been thwarted
Illustration showing the area where houses would have been pulled down to increase the number of people living on the Abbey Estate in Thetford
The CGI plans for the development at Abbey Estate. The development would have seen an expansion of an extra 500 extra homes alongside those being demolished and rebuilt
The Flagship proposals was seeking to improve homes with energy-efficient measures, and plans included ‘better parking and lighting’.
The development would have seen an expansion of an extra 500 extra homes alongside those being demolished and rebuilt.
Homeowners would be eligible to switch to a house of the same size newly built on the estate, or have the option to sell to the developer for market value plus compensation.
However where an agreement could not be reached locals were told they may be forced to sell their house anyway to the developers under a compulsory purchase order.
Conservative councillor Robert Kybird said the application had been refused due to ‘so many uncertainties’.
And he told the Daily Mail: ‘When these houses were built in the late 60s and 70s the green space areas were a clear attraction for people to move to Thetford.
‘This would be taking away something that’s been part of people’s lives for 55 years.’
Lyndon Redpath, 76, has lived on Abbey Estate since 1975 and said earlier this week of the home switching proposal: ‘You’d have to get a mortgage for the new one to make up for the cost difference.
Lyndon Redpath (pictured), 76, has lived on Abbey Estate since 1975 and said earlier this week of the home switching proposal: ‘You’d have to get a mortgage for the new one to make up for the cost difference’
Locals had spoken out about how their community would be ‘destroyed’ and they would be forced to leave their ‘forever homes’ (pictured)
Conservative councillor Robert Kybird said the application had been refused due to ‘so many uncertainties’
‘Where are elderly people going to get a mortgage from at that age?
‘There was no option for wanting to say: “I own my house and I want to stay in it”.
‘Homeowners were not consulted properly. We’ve been lied to.
’20 years of construction work, digging up the roads and the upheaval. It’s disgraceful.’
Dave Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at Bromford Flagship, said: ‘We’re naturally disappointed, but we fully respect the decision and the views that have been shared.
‘We’ve spent the past five years working with local people and listening to their hopes for the Abbey.
‘We’ve heard that change is needed, and we remain committed to working with the council and the community to make that happen.’
Curiously, one of the councillors to vote against the proposals – and others in his party – was Conservative Gordon Bambridge.
He told the Daily Mail he ‘tries to look at facts as they’re presented’.
