Concerns have been raised that residents living in three estates set to be regenerated are not being listened to.

A project from Clarion Housing Group will see more 2,800 new homes built in Merton across the Eastfields and Ravensbury estates in Mitcham and High Path estate in Wimbledon.

On Wednesday, January 9, a meeting of Merton Council’s  sustainable communities overview and scrutiny panel heard from Paul Quinn, director of the Clarion regeneration project in the borough.

At the meeting it was claimed that some residents do not want to to move out of their homes into new ones provided by Clarion.

RELATED: First stage of High Path estate regeneration approved, including demolition of playground

And a letter read out by Cllr Nigel Benbow from a resident said: “I myself have not met a single resident bar one, who is happy to lose their homes, many well-built and spacious, to an uncertain, shaky future. I have put forward these concerns many times and they have been constantly ignored.”

Cypren Edmunds has lived on the High Path estate for nearly 20 years and is chair of the residents association.

He told the panel: “In November 2016 I spoke at this very meeting and within my presentation I delivered a damning reflection of our landlord, Circle Housing (now Clarion).

“Its delivery of its services overall created misery to the lives of people who live and work in Merton.”

Circle Housing merged with Affinity Sutton in 2017 to create Clarion.

RELATED: High Path regeneration: Clarion secures purchase of 'strategic' site

Mr Edmunds added: “Today, in January 2019, not much has changed other than Circle has merged with Affinity Sutton to now become the country’s largest housing provider now known as Clarion.

“And even though with the prospect of grounds being broken in preparation for new homes our general confidence level is just as low.”

His concerns were echoed by Abbey ward councillor Nigel Benbow who said residents had felt meetings with  Clarion have been one-sided.

Cllr Benbow said: “I was told that previous meetings with Clarion had been very one-sided, without any acknowledgement of current residents’ unhappiness.

“I have asked a number of residents to come forward to talk at this meeting, but sadly most have given up, thinking whatever they say, will be ignored.”

He added that he “fully supports regeneration” but does not want to see current residents and maintenance work being ignored.”

Residents are still living in the estates and will continue to while work goes on.

More than 200 of the new homes are earmarked for existing homeowners to  get a new home at no additional cost on a full freehold or leasehold basis.

As part of the billion pound project, Clarion has also said that existing residents will be rehoused.

In response to concerns from Mr Edmunds and Cllr Benbow, Mr Quinn said, Clarion is “very ken to improve the estates”.

RELATED: Clarion Housing Group have started transforming a former Thames Water depot in Fortescue Road

“The point around people not being listened to, I would dispute that as you might expect there are close to 3,000 people living across the three estates and not everyone is in support of regeneration,” he said.

“You would be surprised if that was the case, but certainly based on the extensive consultation we continue to follow through on, our feeling is that the great majority of people on the three estates welcome regeneration.

“And in fact the most common call we get is why is it taking so long and why aren’t we started.

“So that is probably a fairer reflection on how people living in the estates feel about these proposals.”

Ravensbury ward councillor Natasha Irons, wanted to know what would be done to minimise disruption and how Clarion intended to deal with mistrust from residents. 

Mr Quinn said: “It is quite  a big change but i think the residents who aren’t engaged in the regeneration programmes, they are the ones we are particularly mindful of because they are likely to see disruption without any huge benefits (getting a new house).”

He added that this would be done by having good relationships with the contractors and keeping residents in the loop.

“I don’t necessarily see the level of mistrust that you are alluding to,” he added.

“I think the proof will be in the pudding – The first homes have got to be really good and we’ve said this to the contractors working on phase one High Path and phase one Ravensbury.

“We’re going to really struggle to convince everybody that this is a good idea and they should give up their homes and move into a new property unless the first ones are exactly how we envisage them.”

Here is what happens next:

Demolition work is currently underway at High Path with building of 134 new homes due to start in March – these are expected to be completed by December 2021.

A planning application for phase two, which is 116 new homes, will be submitted in March.

And a phase three, 387 homes, will go in in December.

Demolition of a garage site at Ravensbury to make way for 21 homes will start next month with a planning application for phases two-four being submitted around the same time.

While at Eastfields community engagement will take place until June with a planning application for the first 193 homes being submitted in September.