A last-ditch legal attempt to halt the demolition of the iconic Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead, southeast London, has been rejected by a High Court judge. The brutalist estate, featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, is set to be torn down to make way for up to 1,950 new homes.
Resident's legal challenge dismissed
Adam Turk, a resident of the Lesnes Estate, lodged a claim for a judicial review of Bexley Council's decision to approve housing association Peabody's redevelopment plans. However, a High Court judge turned down the request earlier this month. Turk, who has been leading the fight against demolition, said it would now take "a miracle" to overturn the plans.
The judicial review claim centred on the environmental impact of the estate's demolition, arguing that planning documents downplayed the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Turk's lawyers from the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) have triggered a mechanism allowing a one-hour hearing later this month, but Turk admitted this is unlikely to change the judge's decision.
Resident's frustration
"It doesn't look good. A lot of the laws are all against us," Turk said. "A miracle can happen, but I've been going through this for three years now and I've been looking at all the planning laws and different cases, and it just seems that they've got all the laws sewn up." He expressed disappointment and described estate regeneration projects as "a slow death of council housing as everything's getting replaced with this luxury property."
Estate's history and current state
The Lesnes Estate, a brutalist housing project built in the 1960s, gained fame for its appearance in A Clockwork Orange. It is thought that only around 30 households remain on the dilapidated estate, as many residents have moved out ahead of the planned demolition. Peabody has offered financial support to current residents to relocate.
Peabody's response
A Peabody spokesperson said: "Resident homeowners have the chance either to buy a 1960s home like theirs on the neighbouring estate, a new home in the brand-new development, or another home in Thamesmead – or elsewhere – if that's what they choose." Peabody is offering Lesnes residents the market value of their home plus 10 per cent as compensation, and is willing to bridge potential price gaps by contributing up to half of the equity.
The housing association is confident that the plans will benefit the area, as the 596 Lesnes homes demolished will make way for 1,950 new ones – a near 230 per cent increase in available housing.
