Roehampton in Limbo as Regeneration Grinds to a Halt
Locals claim delays in Alton Estate plans leading to decline
Alton Estate. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
April 14, 2023
Roehampton residents are saying that they have promised a major regeneration “for 30 years” and that the gap between rich and poor in the area is getting bigger all the time, with multi-million pound houses sitting side by side with residents relying on foodbanks.
Locals claim they have seen “no sign” of changes previously promised in the area, while luxury flats continue to spring up along the River Thames.
Roehampton is home to one of the UK’s biggest council estates, the Alton Estate, which has slated for redevelopment for years. Plans formerly drawn up in 2014 by Wandsworth Council’s previous Conservative administration were disrupted when developer Redrow pulled out, then scrapped when the authority changed hands at the local elections last May.
The old plans would have seen 288 homes demolished and replaced, with 1,108 homes built in total. The new Labour administration argued it did not include enough new council homes – with a net gain of 48 at social rent over 15 years, according to a report last September. The authority is drawing up new options for consultation, meaning the immediate prospect of demolition is withdrawn but nothing is off the table.
People living and working in Roehampton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they had heard about major regeneration plans for decades, with one local claiming development in the area “doesn’t happen”.
Qaisesh Shak took over Super Clean Laundrette on Danebury Avenue, on the Alton Estate, in 2013. The launderette was in the old demolition zone and Mr Shak said he can’t invest in replacing his old dryer because he is still worried the shop will be knocked down. He also opened another store in Richmond last year just in case his Roehampton one is forced to shut.
The 48-year-old said, “[The previous manager] said from 2000, 23 years ago, they say they’ll demolish it but instead there’s no sign of it.” He added: “There’s a brand-new shop… in Richmond because I’m here for today, tomorrow, next month, next year – [if] the council demolish it, I’ll move there.”
Footfall has also dropped as customers work from home, while Mr Shak is battling rising costs which have spiralled since he started working there. His electricity and gas bill has risen from around £180 a month to £1085 now.
“To be honest I struggle, I struggle a lot,” he said. “Two people used to work here, paid, but now they’re gone. They’re gone because I can’t afford – water goes up, the energy bill is too much and [when] the business is busy I don’t have any problem but the business is very slow.” He added: “Just survive [is my aim at the moment] to be honest, that’s the main concern.”
Mr Shak also raised concerns about transport in the area, claiming he used to see a bus “every two, three minutes” outside his store but now at the stop “it’s 10, 15, 20 people then one bus comes after 15 minutes”.
Residents say the contrast in the area between rich and poor is becoming starker all the time. Homes in Roehampton had an overall average price of £971,437 in the past year, according to Rightmove, with detached properties fetching an average of £5,009,375. But those figures hide the deprivation in the area.
Sheila Farmer, 59, said from the “less affable” parts of the neighbourhood “you go over the road and you’ve got million pound houses and stuff, so you’ve got that real contrast”. She added: “I think it is quite a difficult area to live in.”
Ms Farmer drives from New Malden to Roehampton for work and said the traffic is a “nightmare”. She said many locals are “struggling” and “some of them go to foodbanks and all sorts because they don’t earn enough”.
Sheila Farmer, 59, on the Alton Estate. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
Joseph, 50, who did not wish to give his surname, said Roehampton High Street is “not a high street at all”, adding, “It’s just a small street, there’s not much flow in terms of people and it’s mainly takeaways here, so it doesn’t encourage anybody to come and do the shopping.”
When he first came to Roehampton around 1993, he claimed, “I heard then that they were going to build an Underground [station] and everybody was sort of excited and 10 years later there was another ‘oh there’s another Underground happening’ but I just don’t think it’s ever going to happen in my lifetime.”
Referring to plans for the Alton, Joseph said in 2007 there was going be a “whole development but then the credit crunch happened and they didn’t have any money, [it was meant to be] a whole new regeneration of Roehampton”. He added, “I’ve been hearing for 30 years about development happening in Roehampton, but it doesn’t happen.”
Joseph described homes on Danebury Avenue as “dilapidated”. Elsewhere in the borough, he continued, “You see all the development which is happening… on the London river, that’s a good selling point isn’t it, but [the new homes] are not social housing.”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “things are different from one side of the road to the next”. She said, “I do like it round here, the crime rate, it’s not as rough as it used to be. It used to be terrible round here at one time, it was known for it, especially down Danebury Avenue – if you weren’t known down there you’d get attacked.
“If you went back 20 years ago, like if you came from Wandsworth and you went to see someone and they didn’t know who you were, they’d attack you. [It] used to be crazy; you still get people getting stabbed round here and all that. I don’t think the CCTV system is good around here.”
Prasannah Thurairajah, who works at Roehampton Local on the high street, said, “there’s chicken shops but that’s about it really, there’s a café as well but again nothing much either unless you go to Putney – around here’s there’s not much”.
But the 23-year-old praised the friendliness of the area and said he regularly chats to locals, adding, “My manager also says that so that’s why he decided to open the shop around here.”
Prasannah Thurairajah, 23, at Roehampton Local on the high street. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem, cabinet member for housing, told the LDRS the authority is exploring the possibility of moving ahead with previous plans for a block of flats at the Alton’s entrance which would deliver 30 new council homes, while consulting with the community on what they want their regeneration to look like.
He said, “We’ve inherited a mess and we’re trying to come up with something that is both democratic, supported locally and delivers additional social housing – not just lots and lots of homes for sale.”
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said, “The council is committed to improving the daily lives of Roehampton residents by delivering better housing conditions, transport options and business and employment opportunities.
“We are actively listening to the views and ideas of residents as we draw up proposals for the regeneration of the Alton Estate and the provision of new council rent homes with our stakeholder engagement generating more than 500 responses that will all play a big role in shaping the regen plans. We are committed to investing in and improving the estate and a programme of improvement works are being brought forward which will be fully consulted on later this year.
“We’ve also taken decisive action to see off threats to axe the 74 bus route and two night buses serving Roehampton, along with investing in pavement and road upgrades on those non-red route stretches of the public highway that we manage, as well as improving opportunities for active travel choices.
“The council is absolutely determined to listen and hear the views of all our residents, including those living in Roehampton, as it works towards building a fairer, more compassionate and more sustainable borough. Our commitment to supporting our residents is evidenced by our unrivalled cost of living support scheme worth £5million, the biggest of its kind in London, which is helping to cushion Wandsworth households from the worst effects of the economic downturn.”
Roehampton. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon
A TfL spokesperson said in response to complaints about traffic and public transport issues, “London’s traffic signals use sophisticated software to automatically adjust timings to keep traffic moving, and our 24/7 control rooms will look for and mitigate congestion where it occurs on the network.
“Danebury Avenue is served by routes 170 and 430, which combined provide two high frequency services, with 12 buses per hour in total each way during the day on weekdays. The Roehampton area is very well served by buses with six high frequency routes. In total, there are more than 34 buses per hour in each direction on a weekday – an average of a bus more than every minute in total.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter