Residents ‘left to rot’ in cockroach-infested rubbish-filled property set for demolition
Residents of the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead, Bexley, have said they feel ‘left to rot’ as they are living in a building that is set to be demolished and replaced with nearly 2,000 new homes
Londoners living on an estate destined for demolition claim they’re being “left to rot” in grim, cockroach-infested conditions as the building is due to become almost 2,000 new luxury homes.
The banged-up Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead, Bexley, is reportedly riddled with critters, from mice to roaches, as well as battling issues such as mould and rampant fly-tipping and littering, and with kitchens being torn out leading up to its bulldozing.
The sorry state of the estate was thrown into the spotlight during the Mayor of London’s Question Time on January 16, with Green Party London Assembley member Zoe Garbett discussing her recent visit.
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Last October, Bexley Council approved Peabody’s plans for 1,950 plush new homes where the estate stands, as part of a wider redevelopment plan. Yet, 200 people still call the estate home, MyLondon reports.
Ms Garbett voiced concerns over how the plans have shaken up the local tight-knit community, reports the Mirror.
At the heated meeting, Ms Garbett pulled no punches, saying: “You’ve got residents living next to boarded-up houses. When the people move out, the kitchens are torn out and they are sometimes just left on the estate. The walls have been knocked down, there’s lots of fly-tipping and littering. Mice, cockroaches, damp and mould but all these issues haven’t been picked up and looked at.
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“They feel like they have been left to rot with this stress and uncertainty that’s hanging over them as well.”
A concerned resident launched a petition urging the Mayor to halt the next phase of the area’s redevelopment. In response, the Mayor acknowledged the disruption caused by estate regeneration and vowed to have his Deputy Mayor for Housing investigate the issue to mitigate the difficulties faced by many residents.
Maria Ivanova, 72, a long-time resident of the Lesnes Estate since 2007, had previously expressed her frustration with the growing accumulation of rubbish in public areas, saying: “It’s stressful. I’m not getting younger, although I’m trying to take care of my health… I don’t know what I will do when they decide to demolish the house.”
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In a statement shared with MyLondon, a Peabody spokesperson emphasized the trust’s commitment to maintaining the Lesnes Estate, revealing that staff had met with residents and conducted walk-throughs to address concerns and ensure they were being tackled.
The spokesperson added: “Our teams work on the estate daily and our wardens regularly patrol the area. We’ve cleared fly-tipping from several gardens in recent months, and we’re issuing fines to anyone found to be illegally dumping rubbish. In September, we hosted a meeting with the council to address residents’ concerns around waste collection.”
They responded: “We’ve always been happy to talk to the residents about any concerns they may have and are here to support them through the regeneration process.”
