Fury over Robin Hood estate sparks tenants' walk out

04 November 2009

Those who walked out... furious at lack of tenancy guarantees

By Mike Brooke

ANGRY residents of a run-down housing estate walked out of a consultation meeting with Town Hall officials in London's East End.

The tenants at Poplar's controversial Robin Hood Gardens estate staged their fury at Tower Hamlets council over lack of tenancy guarantees in the Blackwall Reach regeneration scheme.

The walk-out included Opposition Respect Councillor Dulal Uddin who said: "They spontaneously got up and walked out of the meeting because there were no satisfactory answers to their questions on any of the crucial issues at stake.

"The families want their tenancy rights maintained if they have to shift out and want the right to return in the redeveloped estate."

The protest families are calling for 100 per cent council-housing for families on Tower Hamlets chronic 33,000 waiting list.

They are furious about two-thirds being earmarked for the private market rather than used to reduce the East End's overcrowding.

The plans include 1,600 new homes replacing the present 250 with more community facilities including parks and improvements to the local primary school.

Only a third of the new properties are scheduled for social housing, with the rest to be sold on the property market, the council admits.

Saturday's meeting was the first in a series of events planned by the authority over the coming months.

The consultation follows delays to the redevelopment by challenges from leading British architects wanting to keep Robin Hood Gardens' ageing 1970s concrete buildings on architectural grounds.

But their lobby was rejected by the Government earlier this year and the Blackwall Reach regeneration was given the green light.