We’re the last house standing on a doomed estate – our neighbours’ homes are being demolished… but we are trapped in this hellhole
Furious locals living on a ‘doomed’ and unfinished estate that has been plagued by crime, violence and arson for almost two decades are calling it a ‘hell hole’.
Desperate residents say they have no idea what the future holds for the homes they live in after a £250 million regeneration project collapsed during construction work.
And others living near homes in the Essex town of Basildon say their lives are ‘horrific’ living next to an unfinished estate which they say resembles a ‘war zone’.
The ambitious project for the Basildon Craylands estate was announced in 2006 by Swan Housing.
The plan was to raze it to the ground and build 1,310 new homes and was initially a success.
But since then it has remained abandoned and unfinished.
A resident to the left of the ghost blocks told MailOnline: ‘It’s a limbo. It’s like no man’s land. I feel like the last man standing. We’re all trapped.’
Remove buildings on the Basildon Craylands estate that are set to be demolished and redeveloped
Desperate residents say they have no idea what the future holds for the homes they live in after a £250 million regeneration project collapsed during construction work
Keith Miller lives next to some of the demolition work. He said: ‘We have made numerous complaints to the council and police about young people treating the site like a playground.’
Colin Parkins, 65, (pictured) built a ground floor maisonette two years before the plan was announced
The ambitious project for the Basildon Craylands estate was announced in 2006 by Swan Housing
After Swan Housing’s plans were delayed, the estate project was picked up by Sanctuary Housing.
The developer has now started demolition work on the northern part of the estate, which is full of vacant homes.
But others living on the estate originally earmarked for demolition now claim moving or selling has become impossible.
One of those most affected is Colin Parkins, 65, who built a ground-floor maisonette two years before the plan was announced.
The Tesco delivery man said: ‘It’s an absolute mess. I can’t live my life normally. Everything has been on hold for years.
‘A few years ago I saw a sale fall through when the buyer heard about the regeneration plans. There are no clear answers and we live in the middle of a construction site, with no idea what is happening.
‘It’s hell. I have no idea what’s happening. It’s a living nightmare.
‘We are not kept informed. Sanctuary has said it’s under review, but what does that mean? What does that mean for our future if we live here?
“I don’t know if they’ll finish what they started.”
The 65-year-old said: ‘At my age I can’t get a new mortgage. Last year I had to spend thousands of money on the bathroom because something needed to be done.
‘But I can’t keep spending my savings if we might all have to move soon.
‘It’s a limbo. It’s like no man’s land.
‘The estate feels doomed. I am very angry.’
He added: “I feel like the last man standing. We are all trapped.
Aerial view shows the Basildon Craylands estate. According to residents, it is like living in a war zone
Jenny Groves, 74, (pictured) says she has to deal with constant noise and disruption from construction work
Those living on the estate originally earmarked for demolition now claim they face an uncertain future and are unsure of what will happen
Houses on the Craylands estate that are still lived in – it is not known if they will be part of the redevelopment program
‘I would like to move. But I don’t know what’s going on.’
Jenny Groves, 74, lives in houses next to the construction work, but her home is not threatened.
But outside her home there is a large fence blocking her view, and she says she has to deal with constant noise and disruption from construction work.
And she says the area has been plagued by crime and anti-social behavior in recent years.
She said: ‘There have been endless problems. If you leave something in such a state, it will cause problems.
‘There have been arsons day and night, squatters, parties, everything. It was horrible.
‘I had to call the fire brigade because someone was starting a fire and I was afraid our houses would go up in flames.
The new houses on the Craylands estate built as part of the regeneration
New-build homes that are part of the regeneration programme
Residents of the Craylands estate say it has become impossible to move or sell
Aerial view of the Craylands Estate in Basildon, Essex
Terminate buildings on the estate that are to be demolished and redeveloped
‘It’s terrible here. The situation is terrible. There have been security people, but they have no power and are afraid of the people who are causing the problem in the first place.
‘It’s like living next to the Berlin Wall.’
She said there have been local rumors that construction work could be completed this month, but she doesn’t think that will happen.
She added: “It’s more than a joke now.”
Michael Sidebottom, 45, lives nearby and said it was like being a ‘prisoner’.
The engineer added: ‘It’s crazy. How can you treat people like that?
‘You have houses that are still being completed, many people don’t know what is going on, and people who continue to live in the middle of it.
In the photo: abandoned buildings cordoned off awaiting demolition
In the photo: waste dumped in an alley next to the project
On the left is an abandoned building awaiting demolition, but across the road are the newly built homes
Michael Sidebottom, 45, lives nearby and said it was like being a ‘prisoner’
Pictured: Remove buildings on the estate that will be demolished and redeveloped
‘There is constant noise from machinery and construction work, but there is little progress.’
Another said: ‘It’s a shocking way to treat people in 2024.’
Keith Miller, 64, also lives next to some of the demolition work.
He said: “We have made numerous complaints to the council and police about young people treating the site like a playground.
“There have been all kinds of problems.”
Sanctuary Housing was contacted for comment.