Hathersage and Besant Court residents want to know why the work has not started 

NEIGHBOURS say they feel abandoned on a deserted development which has cost the council more than £2million.

Hathersage and Besant Court residents in Newington Green are demanding answers after being left with no proper outdoor space, a locked-up children’s playground, and an estate which they say is crumbling around them.

It has been seven years since Islington proposed a new development for the estate that would provide 45 new homes in eight new blocks, as well as creating new green spaces.

Planning permission was granted in 2018, but information released to the Tribune under a Freedom of Information request shows that the council has already spent £2.3million on the development – with only a demolished wall and 32 trees felled to show for it.

“Not only has the regeneration not happened, it’s backtracked,” said Susie McShane, a Besant Court resident.  “For the development to stop and there to be no communication, it makes you feel abandoned. It also feels like [the council thinks] the residents aren’t even worth updating.”

“Who would you ever do that to? Promise people their whole area is going to be changed and upgraded, and then just halt.”\

Fly-tipping on the estate has increased

Residents feel the council have neglected basic maintenance on the estate while the wait goes on for the works, leaving it crumbling.

“There’s no repairs, or cleaning of the bushes. You’ve got to literally call them up to cut the grass,” said Paulette McDermoth, a Besant Court resident.

Ms McShane added: “The only place left to sit is the wall in the car park, and I think that’s why it’s falling apart.”

Sue Wilkinson, who has lived in Besant Court for 34 years, said: “We need to know what’s going to happen. Are we getting houses or not? Are we going to have somewhere for the children to play together or not?”

The estate’s playground was closed due to safety concerns prior to the new development decision.

Residents agreed to put off the repairs in exchange for the new green spaces the development promised.

Catherine Osterberg, the former chair of Hathersage Court’s tenants’ and residents’ association, said: “I asked the chief executive to have the playground reinstated and put back to use. It’s got a basketball court, and something could be done with that site.

“I haven’t received a response at all, and that was a month ago.”

Apart from a letter last June to say the project had been delayed, Besant Court residents have heard nothing about the future of their estate.

Hathersage resident Maria McCarthy said: “To spend that vast amount of money – on what? What is there to show for it?

“There’s nothing to show for the £2million they’ve spent on it, nothing that we can point at and say ‘that’s where the money’s gone’.”

With no work, the play area is closed off and unusable

Deputy council leader Labour councillor Diarmaid Ward said: “Major projects to create new much-needed, genuinely affordable housing in Islington have significant pre-construction costs.

“As with any complex project, work was carried out on planning, development, site preparation and other costs before the project was hit by soaring construction costs caused by external factors.  Should we be in a position to restart, this work will be helpful.

“We want to work closely with local residents on the future of their estate and are sorry for the disruption and disappointment they have been caused.

“We recognise that the delay in building has impacted on the quality of some shared space on the estate and we have begun to bring some of these areas back into use and improve the look of the estate.”