0:00:08 > 0:00:11Overlooking the Welsh Harp nature reserve in North London,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15the West Hendon estate was built in the late 1960s
0:00:15 > 0:00:17to provide 680 council homes.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21I came to West Hendon estate 45 years ago.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The community spirit here is amazing. Always has been.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Growing up here was really nice. We just used to run free.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34It was wicked. It was amazing.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41These are our homes, these are our memories. These are happy times.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49Look what we have here. We have maisonettes, like little houses.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Look at the view we have - the river, the forest, the greenery.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Today, the area is undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06The council has decided the old estate is beyond repair.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09The buildings are grotty down there. They need rebuilding.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11There can be no doubt.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14It will be demolished and replaced with 2,000 new flats,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17most of them for private sale.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Filmed over a year, this is the story of the residents who
0:01:22 > 0:01:25have been told that they will need to leave their homes.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28They call us a slum.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Must be joking! You know.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34I'm sorry, but it's not, is it?
0:01:51 > 0:01:55In spite of the redevelopment going on around them,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58all the homes on the old West Hendon estate are still occupied.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03If the council and developers get their way, in 12 months' time,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06195 will be demolished.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Yeah, have a good look, you prats.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12SHE PLAYS "FUR ELISE"
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Many residents, like Lee, have lived here since the 1970s.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26This used to be our park.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And now we have this.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It was an amazing thing to have social housing.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41I ended up with 45 years of the most beautiful view.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Somewhere where it was safe for my children to play
0:02:44 > 0:02:49and it was open and fresh air and trees and flowers and grass.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53We had everything. Everything.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57You know? Which is slowly being robbed.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03They say, "We're doing this for the benefit of the people of West Hendon."
0:03:03 > 0:03:07No, they're not. Show me one thing that's to our benefit.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The benefit is for them. Not us.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Today, the developers have come to the estate to present
0:03:15 > 0:03:17the models for the next phase of building.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21RESIDENTS SING: # We shall not We shall not be moved
0:03:21 > 0:03:27# Just like a tree That's standing by the waterside
0:03:27 > 0:03:31# We shall not be moved. #
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Since 2002, when the plans were first announced,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37opposition on the estate has been growing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40We're not here to make requests any more, we're here to make demands.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44That's it. Because we tried requesting, been totally ignored.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47From now on, unless anything changes, it's demands.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54Leaseholder Jasmin Parsons bought her flat from the council in 1988
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and is leading the residents' campaign.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00She has successfully called for an independent inquiry into
0:04:00 > 0:04:03whether the development is in the public interest.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06We're going up to Hendon Toad Hall for the public inquiry because
0:04:06 > 0:04:10we've raised objections against the Compulsory Purchase Order,
0:04:10 > 0:04:16ie the CPO, from being put on our homes,
0:04:16 > 0:04:23and to stop our public land being stolen and put into private hands.
0:04:26 > 0:04:32This is a massive abuse of our human rights as a community.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35If this project continues, there will be nothing left for us.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41For them, pounds. For us, broken promises, more tears.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44We were all promised that we, the community,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48would not suffer as a result of the original project.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50We are all suffering.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56See all this here?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00We had one of these here today earlier on.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Stinking fumes, the engine going, so we got that turned off.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09A lot of people are feeling unwell because they are suffering
0:05:09 > 0:05:12from the pollution that they are causing here.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Jackie P bought her maisonette under the Right to Buy.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24The new building work has been going on around her for the past year.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Oh, Lord! That is like a spaceship taking off.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Right, well, he's over our roof. He's definitely over the roof.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Council leaders, they've all got the same attitude.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And I just think that they hope that people will crack.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Well, we're not going to. It doesn't matter how much...
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I think they've be able to do it in other estates,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50somehow they got away with it. But here...
0:05:50 > 0:05:51I don't think they thought that
0:05:51 > 0:05:54everybody would actually get together...
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and support each other. I don't think they expected that.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Don't put pressure on the people of West Hendon.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01They're a bolshie lot.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Well, people are sitting back and haven't got a clue.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Anywhere there's a council estate in London,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09they're coming to you next.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- Yes. Absolutely. - And you better be prepared.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21MUSIC: Kyrie Eleison
0:06:21 > 0:06:28# Kyrie, kyrie... #
0:06:30 > 0:06:32West Hendon is one of 90 estates
0:06:32 > 0:06:35currently being regenerated in London.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Successive governments have given private developers
0:06:40 > 0:06:45an increasing role in rebuilding post-war housing estates -
0:06:45 > 0:06:49a policy embraced by both Labour and Tory councils.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53The vision is to create a genuine mixed community
0:06:53 > 0:06:56where people live in all tenures and they live together,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00and replace a council estate that was built in the 1960s
0:07:00 > 0:07:03which is in poor condition and needs to be replaced.
0:07:03 > 0:07:09CHANTING
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Campaigners argue that private redevelopment is destroying
0:07:13 > 0:07:16social housing and driving low-income families out of London.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22In the second week of the public inquiry, council estate
0:07:22 > 0:07:26residents from all over London marched to Barnet Town Hall.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I wrote this letter in objection to the Compulsory Purchase Order
0:07:29 > 0:07:34as the former community organiser on the West Hendon estate.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37What I have witnessed in my time working on the estate
0:07:37 > 0:07:41are the informal networks that make living in low-incomes possible.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The informal carers to those bed-ridden,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48the informal childcare that enables people to go out to work or to study.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51I believe this community spirit is generally only still found
0:07:51 > 0:07:54on estates like West Hendon.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57And it's that which is currently being torn apart.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59They have lived through years of planning blight,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02now they live on a permanent building site,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and as they watch the new homes being built,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08they do so knowing they will be unlikely to be living in one of them.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13Regeneration in Barnet appears to be about the open political
0:08:13 > 0:08:19and ideological pursuit of replacing low-income households with high-income households.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25- APPLAUSE AND CHEERING MAN:- Well said!
0:08:33 > 0:08:34I don't know about you guys,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37but I think you've got a hell of a lot to celebrate,
0:08:37 > 0:08:38and this whole public inquiry
0:08:38 > 0:08:41is you showing them that you're not just going to stand down and let
0:08:41 > 0:08:45your homes be taken away, let your community be destroyed,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49that you're going to fight back and you're going to stand up for your homes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52So, massive round of applause to all of you. Fantastic.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55APPLAUSE
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- SHE SHOUTS:- Whose West Hendon?! - ALL:- Our West Hendon!
0:09:01 > 0:09:04MUSIC
0:09:11 > 0:09:16CHATTER AND MUSIC
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Joe has lived on the estate for 31 years
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and bought his flat in the 1990s.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Three generations of his family live locally.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37I'm sorry to see it happening.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I'm really, really... I'd love to keep the neighbours we have now
0:09:41 > 0:09:45and move us all in one place like we were promised.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Now they've split up the whole community, they have.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Moved them everywhere and anywhere.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53They just want to get rid of all the properties.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Who would sell land like this, all for £3? Who?
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Wish they'd sell it to me.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08The sale of publicly owned land valued at £12 million to the developers for just £3
0:10:08 > 0:10:13is one of the main grievances residents have against the council.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Yes, it was sold for £3,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18but Barratts have assumed the cost of all the rebuilding,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21the new community centre, a new school, all the infrastructure,
0:10:21 > 0:10:22moving an enormous sewer,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25which was one of the first things that was done.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27There's no public money to spend on housing,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and this is a way of getting things done.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33It's not an option to leave something ghastly for people to moulder in,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35and we have to build new properties.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39On the final day of the inquiry,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Barnet Council's legal team sums up the case for the
0:10:42 > 0:10:45compulsory purchase of the flats owned by the leaseholders.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51The case for the CPO must be judged by reference to current policy.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56In this case, much of the substance of the objections are political in nature.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The consistent theme of a number of the objections has been
0:11:00 > 0:11:02the residents' views have been ignored.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03This is not true.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Much of the residents' evidence has comprised
0:11:07 > 0:11:10complaints about the way in which they have been treated,
0:11:10 > 0:11:17failure to recognise their particular needs, and even bullying and harassment.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20These allegations are simply not accepted.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25We request the Secretary of State to confirm the order.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Well done, my dear.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31The inspector's recommendations will go to the Secretary of State,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and it could be months before a decision is announced.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44In the meantime, the building works continue,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47along with plans to move the existing tenants.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53The council and developers have a duty to rehouse the secure tenants
0:11:53 > 0:11:55who lived on the estate before 2002.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01They are building them a separate block away from the water -
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Bullfinch House.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Cindy is a secure tenant who will be moving to the new block.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I used to sit down there in my bikini many years ago,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34put the sunbed down there, put my orange and what have you.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35It was wonderful.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Lived here 36 years.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45When I first came here it was teas out in the garden, doors open,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47wonderful. Most fabulous community.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53But since the regen has started about 11 years ago,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55it's just deteriorated.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57They just haven't bothered with the estate,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59they've just let it run down.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I don't think anything's done for OUR benefit.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04"Get rid of these people that are in these flats,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07"we'll knock them down, build beautiful penthouse suites
0:13:07 > 0:13:10"that are going for over half a million,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12"and we'll be fine."
0:13:12 > 0:13:15They've taken all our greenery away.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19They've got a bloody great big lift shaft going up. Have you seen it?
0:13:19 > 0:13:2118 or whatever floors.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24All that is going to be buildings, so that's going be in front of us.
0:13:27 > 0:13:33If I was 36 or 37, I would probably be fighting tooth and nail.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36But, you know, I'm tired and I can't.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I haven't got it in me to fight, to be honest with you.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42That's it. So...
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- Bullshit House, here I come. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Every three months, the council
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and developers meet with residents to discuss the regeneration.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The private partners refused requests to take part
0:14:04 > 0:14:08in the filming, or to allow cameras into any of the meetings.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Hi, Fran.- Hiya.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- How you doing? - Not bad, thank you.- Nathan?
0:14:16 > 0:14:21Do you think you might be able to say something at the end of the meeting?
0:14:21 > 0:14:22About what just took place?
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Um... Probably not. Probably not.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Not today, anyway.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33What have they got to hide? This is supposed to be a public meeting.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35What's wrong with these people?
0:14:40 > 0:14:42It's going in the plants.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45While the secure tenants know they will be rehoused,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48other residents, including those who've bought their homes,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52have no such security, and continue to protest.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I think it's a load of...rubbish.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59There's not enough protesters out there.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03They want to have some more.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- Got any water there, have you, for the dog?- The dog?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- Drop of water.- Just a minute.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- WOMAN:- Put the kettle on.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13She's getting a drop of water for the dog.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23We've got no say, we haven't, about it. Because we've got nowhere to move, have we?
0:15:23 > 0:15:27We shouldn't be here, mate. We shouldn't be here.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31We should have settled last year before this building went up here.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33What money are you going to get?
0:15:33 > 0:15:35This is it, you don't know what you're going to get.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43If I can't buy a home in Hendon, I don't want to know.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- And you don't want to know, either, do you?- No.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50You've got to be able to buy a home in Hendon for what they're going to pay us.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51And that's it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The estate's leaseholders are in dispute with the developers
0:15:54 > 0:15:56over the market value of their homes.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03Jackie C wants to stay in West Hendon, but the price she's been offered
0:16:03 > 0:16:07for her maisonette falls well below the price of flats on the new estate.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- Hmm.- SHE READS:- "One, two and three-bedroom homes currently
0:16:10 > 0:16:16"available from 303,000 to 567,000."
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And I've been offered 170,000.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- INTERVIEWER:- And what were you offered first time?
0:16:24 > 0:16:28130,000. So that's... 300,000 less.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Anybody that walks in here always goes, "Oh, this is lovely!"
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Because immediately you see the view. Trees, forests, the lakes.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44And yet they say, "Right, out you go.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47"Here's 130,000, out you go."
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Strange, isn't it? Something a bit unfair about it all.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06MUSIC: Puttin' On The Ritz
0:17:16 > 0:17:20The first block to be completed in the regeneration was Lakeside.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Nicholas bought his flat in 2012.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37I don't think you could find a view like this in London for
0:17:37 > 0:17:40less than, I don't know, 1.4 million.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But here it was obviously a lot less.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47But I'm in Zone 3, I can get into the city very quickly.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50But come out, and at night it's as peaceful as anything.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52All you can hear is the geese on the lake
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and the swans flapping their wings on the water.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57So this is what I really wanted.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I'm really, really happy here.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04In the last three years there's buildings going up everywhere,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08which I think is only going to be a great improvement for the area,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12with improved open spaces and great social,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16economic and environmental improvements for the residents.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20MUSIC: Cello Suite No. 1 by Bach
0:18:28 > 0:18:30SHE SIGHS
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Won't get this, will I?
0:18:38 > 0:18:42I can't bear it, my poor flat.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50See? I'm supposed to read my meter. I can't do all this in one day.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56That's rubbish.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58See, all my medicine's up there.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I don't know if I've got any in the bag, but I've got palpitations.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11It's coming to reality now.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15When I've seen my mum do it, that was a bit of a shock,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but now that I'm seeing everyone...
0:19:17 > 0:19:20My neighbour's gone now, seeing Cindy packing up,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24the other neighbour's gone. That's the reality of it now.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Everyone's going.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- I'm going to be the last one here. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:19:42 > 0:19:43You OK?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Unlike the secure tenants, those who moved onto the estate
0:19:55 > 0:20:01after 2002 are not included in the regeneration and will be evicted.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Katrina, who lived with her mother until she got her own flat in 2009,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09was surprised to discover that this applied to her.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I've lived here all my life and my mum has lived there
0:20:12 > 0:20:15since she was five as well.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19So I signed a tenancy thinking I had a secure tenancy
0:20:19 > 0:20:21and now I've got my notice to quit, um...
0:20:21 > 0:20:23When I got my notice to quit,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26that's when I realised I wasn't secure,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28so at the moment I'm fighting my case.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's not a nice feeling to be an unsecure tenant.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37I don't have rights on where my next accommodation would be,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41I don't have rights on even the say within the region, even though
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I've lived here 31 years of my life.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I feel hopeless for my child, I feel hopeless for me.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Slowly, everything's just
0:20:50 > 0:20:55fading away and there's nothing that we can do about it.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58We're fighting and we're trying, but we're not being heard.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03PROTEST OVER PA SYSTEM
0:21:03 > 0:21:06While waiting for the outcome of the inquiry,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10campaigners have gathered 130,000 signatures on a petition
0:21:10 > 0:21:14which they're presenting to the council at Barnet Town Hall.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I'm going to ask Jasmin Parsons.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Jasmin, if you would like to speak and present your position,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:21:23 > 0:21:30Toads! The reason why we're here today is because the bloody toads
0:21:30 > 0:21:32are doing this to all the residents in this borough
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and we don't like it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39This was your promise -
0:21:39 > 0:21:44every single resident would get a home on that estate,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46every single resident,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and you should be honouring that, not ignoring us.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The right of reply, Councillor Daniel Thomas.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I just want to clear up the facts about the number of houses
0:21:55 > 0:21:58that are going to be built, the social rent houses.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01There will be 258 social rented units -
0:22:01 > 0:22:06that is a net reduction of 220 and we've been quite open about that.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07What people don't...
0:22:07 > 0:22:10forget, sorry, is that there's going to be
0:22:10 > 0:22:13an increase of 285 low-cost ownership properties...
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- No, no, no!- ..which actually...
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Who can afford it? I can't afford it and I'm one of them!
0:22:18 > 0:22:22So, Mr Mayor, we debated this matter numerous times at committee
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and this chamber. I've not yet heard a compelling case to change
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- the course that we're pursuing. - You're not listening.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Mr Mayor, we will continue with the policy.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- Cos you're not listening! - Thank you very much.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34'There will always be conflicts and we, as a council,
0:22:34 > 0:22:35'need to do what's best'
0:22:35 > 0:22:37for the residents and for the local community
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and the taxpayer at large,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41but we must never forget that what we're about
0:22:41 > 0:22:43is creating new, vibrant communities
0:22:43 > 0:22:47and also providing new homes for our ever-increasing population.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Yeah, I can understand being moved from different homes
0:22:49 > 0:22:53is going to be distressing, but Barnet Homes do an excellent job
0:22:53 > 0:22:56of providing as much support as we can to people who have to move.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03By the end of June, most of the 86 non-secure tenants
0:23:03 > 0:23:07affected by this phase of building have been moved off the estate.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11According to the council, nearly half of them
0:23:11 > 0:23:14have been given five-year tenancies elsewhere in Barnet.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Dorothy, who has lived here with her daughter since 2011,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25has not been given any such offer.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29They said they posted an eviction letter to me
0:23:29 > 0:23:33which was dated 1st June, but it did not actually come through my door
0:23:33 > 0:23:35until 27th June.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40I went to the court to apply for an extension, but yesterday the judge
0:23:40 > 0:23:44just looked at my application and told me she was beyond her remit.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48But I've had some lady walking into my living room this morning
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and I could hear people going up my stairs.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54I wasn't aware they had a key, I wasn't aware they had a key.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Most of my things are still packed in, like, the cupboards.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I've got things in the storage. There's...
0:24:00 > 0:24:05No-one's telling me where they're going, where I'm going.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08All I've been told is that emergency accommodation
0:24:08 > 0:24:11will be provided for you, it's in the borough of Westminster.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14My daughter's nine, she's at school.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15She's never heard of eviction.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18She thought everybody's home was their home.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23She never knew that people would come and literally kick us out.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29My worst fear is that I'm going to be put somewhere
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and I'm going to be given no choice but to go,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36knowing full well within myself
0:24:36 > 0:24:39it's not going to be in my best interest,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41not for progression, because, no, I don't want to be
0:24:41 > 0:24:46a member of society that's... that's unable to...
0:24:49 > 0:24:52..support myself, to make myself somebody in this world.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18HE MUTTERS
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Joe and his fellow homeowners agreed to enter arbitration
0:25:22 > 0:25:25to resolve the dispute over their house prices.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27"Disturbance compensation..."
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Today, the new offers have arrived.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I knew it!
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Purchase price 214,500.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40I knew it!
0:25:40 > 0:25:42HE CHUCKLES
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- INTERVIEWER:- Were you hoping for more, Joe?- Of course I was.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48You can't buy anything for that price round here.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52What can you buy for 214,000? Nothing.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Hi, Lee, come in. - Hi, Jackie. Thank you.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Thanks.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10- Hi.- Are you disappointed? - I'm angry.- And so am I.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15- I'm very upset, because we've been stitched up.- Oh, big time.- So...
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- We don't accept this.- We're going to do something about it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21- They're not getting away with it. - No. Certainly not.- Sorry.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Would you like a cup of tea? - Oh, no thanks, Jackie.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24We thought you were away.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I'm meant to be out of London this morning,
0:26:26 > 0:26:32but this letter came earlier and I couldn't drive. I couldn't drive so I'm going later...
0:26:32 > 0:26:33You're too upset?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Yeah, well, I wouldn't be able to see where I was going.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Think we had a fight before - we've got a fight on our hands now.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41We have, one big fight.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Providing we all stick together, that's the problem.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- Well, we've got to. - You're the same as ours is.- Er, 211.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49You're joking?!
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- Why did they value yours at 211, then?- Don't ask me, Joe.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58You see, I think that's wrong. If we've all got the same-sized property...
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Apparently they've distinguished two floors.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03And the ground floor's better off than this floor.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- If you're ground floor, you're better off.- That's ridiculous.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07- We've got a better view, it's higher.- I know.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12That's what I brought up because the new - the higher it goes,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15the more expensive it becomes. They're trying to shaft us, Joe.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- They're trying to... - We are shafted already.- Yeah.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Well, that's right, you're right, Lee, and...
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- We're not going to let them get away with it.- No, most certainly not.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- Right, OK, then. See you Saturday. - Bye, Joe, have a lovely holiday.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- Have a lovely week, Joe. - See you Saturday.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Despite their disappointment, the terms of the arbitration mean that
0:27:33 > 0:27:36their only option will be to ask the developers for an increased offer.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01Cindy is one of 71 secure tenants moved to the new block.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- INTERVIEWER:- So, Cindy, tell me how you're doing.- I'm not.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11I'm not.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13You don't see anybody at all.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16You don't see a soul.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Where I was before, I left my door open and people - "Whoo!"
0:28:20 > 0:28:22You know? It wasn't...
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I never had a problem and everybody, of course, knew me
0:28:25 > 0:28:28when you've lived there for so long.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31I don't even want to unpack anything,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35I don't want to do anything, I really don't.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42SHE SNIFFS
0:28:50 > 0:28:54- Hi.- All right, come in. Hello.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Jackie's friend Pamela lives on the floor below Cindy.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01- INTERVIEWER:- Pamela, will you tell me where you were living before?
0:29:01 > 0:29:04I was living in Franklin House on the second floor.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I had a quite nice flat
0:29:06 > 0:29:11- and I made it nice inside and I had a lovely view.- Until?
0:29:11 > 0:29:18Until they told us we had to move, so they allocated this flat for me
0:29:18 > 0:29:20and I'm happy with the flat,
0:29:20 > 0:29:25I'm happy with the size of the rooms and it's quite spacious
0:29:25 > 0:29:27and it meets my needs.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Only thing, I don't like the traffic outside.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35Now we just look on a busy road, but, hey, we can't have everything.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- The estate couldn't stay as it was.- No, no, I quite agree,
0:29:39 > 0:29:44- but then a lot of people feel...- The estate was tatty. It was run-down.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Would you have preferred them to have done something than knock it down?
0:29:50 > 0:29:54- Honestly?- Yeah.- Yeah. - Well, I'm the opposite.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58I'm glad they're knocking it down because I think it's beyond repair.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Franklin House and Marriott, those are all going to come down
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and they're going to build more blocks of flats.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11And then it's going to be landscaped as well, apparently, I'm told.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Where? When I looked at the plans...
0:30:15 > 0:30:18..there was no little gardens or anything.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22In, let's say, 15 years' time, you won't recognise this area, it will
0:30:22 > 0:30:27just be flats and buildings upon buildings upon buildings.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30And you will probably find all over London
0:30:30 > 0:30:31things like this happening.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Today is the opening of Barratt's showroom
0:30:43 > 0:30:47and prospective buyers will be viewing the new flats.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50CHANTING: Stop social cleansing! Stop social cleansing!
0:30:50 > 0:30:53CHANTING CONTINUES
0:30:56 > 0:30:59They're demolishing all these houses? Is that what they're doing?
0:30:59 > 0:31:01They're throwing people out of their homes,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04and giving them peanuts, peanuts.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05You feel powerless.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07It's your home.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12You're being turned out of it,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15not through having done anything wrong.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20I don't want to spend the rest of my life shut in a tower block.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23I know people that live in tower blocks
0:31:23 > 0:31:27and they all say the same thing - you're so isolated.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Although I would never buy one of their properties,
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I'm going to see what it's like.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Pure curiosity.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43QUIET CONVERSATION
0:31:54 > 0:31:58There are 142 flats in the new block.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01The ones with a view cost half a million pounds
0:32:01 > 0:32:05and Lee is told they have all been sold in the first morning.
0:32:05 > 0:32:06Quite impressed.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's very well-organised in there.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I had a glass of rose, one of my favourites,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20and a little hors d'oeuvre
0:32:20 > 0:32:26and a square piece of beef on a stick, you dip it into the sauce.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28There were some there with a balcony
0:32:28 > 0:32:30straight onto the Welsh Harp,
0:32:30 > 0:32:35very nice, lovely breeze, peaceful, tranquil. Very nice.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37I have to say, um,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40they were bigger than I thought they would be,
0:32:40 > 0:32:45they look nice because they're brand-new, etc, etc,
0:32:45 > 0:32:52Erm...I still wouldn't have one. No way. No way.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55# Show me the way to go home
0:32:55 > 0:33:00# I'm tired and I wanna go to bed
0:33:00 > 0:33:03# They knocked them down about an hour ago
0:33:03 > 0:33:07# And they built this show home instead
0:33:07 > 0:33:08# Oh... #
0:33:08 > 0:33:11The sales office was always on the water down here,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15so it wasn't until it moved that I had to actually walk through
0:33:15 > 0:33:18the estate and that's when I became aware of the picketing.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I actually didn't really know what was going on and the upset
0:33:22 > 0:33:26that was being experienced by people who have been here for a long time.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28So that was a bit of an education and an eye-opener,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32but they're living in accommodation which is already in disrepair
0:33:32 > 0:33:35and falling down and they are going to be moved into places
0:33:35 > 0:33:38which are bigger and better and much more modern.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41And that's what would be really great with the regeneration.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45When I first moved here, I couldn't imagine moving out
0:33:45 > 0:33:47because when I first got into the place
0:33:47 > 0:33:50I really loved it and it has been a great investment already.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54I've actually bought another place along the lake because I have
0:33:54 > 0:33:58loved it so much and it has been such a good investment for myself.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Hopefully, somebody else can enjoy it, too.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Dorothy has been without her possessions for four days,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10having missed an appointment the day after her eviction.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- Hi, come in.- Hiya.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16This is my new emergency accommodation.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23This is my kitchen/living room. Very basic.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27No pots, no pans, no cutlery, no plates,
0:34:27 > 0:34:30nothing, nothing at all.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32And come this way.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39This is supposed to be my daughter's room.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- INTERVIEWER:- Is she staying here? - She can't.
0:34:41 > 0:34:47I mean, the smell of damp in here alone.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50This is where they've been chewing through.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55You hear them, "Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!"
0:34:55 > 0:34:58They think that this is their playground.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03- It's very pest friendly, I'd say. - So where's your daughter staying?
0:35:03 > 0:35:07At the moment, she is staying with her grandmother, my mum,
0:35:07 > 0:35:13in an overcrowded two-bedroom flat in Cricklewood.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17Hopefully, until Barnet Council give me an answer
0:35:17 > 0:35:21as to when and how or where I'll be going with my daughter
0:35:21 > 0:35:26and my belongings that I'm not actually allowed access to.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- What do you need to get out of your flat?- Everything.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33My tumble dryer, my Hoover, my daughter's clothes,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35sentimental things like my pictures.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Bedsheets. There wasn't even a duvet for emergency accommodation
0:35:39 > 0:35:41or a pillow.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I've got one bag which I was told...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47When I was leaving, he said, "Oh, just grab an overnight bag."
0:35:49 > 0:35:54And it's been four overnights with the one change of clothes.
0:35:56 > 0:36:02They are paying £71.95 a night for me to stay here.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07I could've been in my own home, in my own bed.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10But my house is there, empty.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I could be in my home, packing my things,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17even if I was given up until next week, packing my belongings,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20somewhere where I felt comfortable and I felt safe.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Morning. Hannah Waterside. You're through to Barratt London.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30How can I help you?
0:36:32 > 0:36:35The waterside block, Lakeview, is for private sale,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39but a small number of flats have been held for current homeowners.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47Council leader Richard Cornelius is given a tour of the building.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- This one, number 18.- Mm-hm.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52Wow!
0:36:53 > 0:36:54- Nice floor.- Mmm.
0:36:56 > 0:36:57And so what's this?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- This is the bedroom? - This is a two-bedroom flat
0:37:00 > 0:37:02reserved for one of our existing leaseholders on the estate, so
0:37:02 > 0:37:06you're in the main bedroom here with and en suite to the left-hand side.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12- Moving into the living/dining space.- Wow! What a super room.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18- There's plenty of room in here. - Yeah.- It's a nice-sized balcony.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- No, this is very nice. - A great view of the Welsh Harp.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30- Yeah, nice view of suburban London.- Yeah, yeah.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Probably four fifths of them now have exchanged contracts.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34So you're winning.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- Are you winning? - We are, we are, we are.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Just have about eight left, leaseholders in CPO one.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42- And how many are trouble?- Erm... A couple, a couple. Yeah.- That's good.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45- Yeah.- OK, that's good.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49- I can see Harrow on the Hill in the distance, as well.- You can, yes.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Right, I'm impressed, actually. It's great. Yeah.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Because one of the satisfactions of being a councillor
0:37:57 > 0:37:59is when something actually gets done.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04All too often it's planning, preparation, da-dun-da-dun-da-dun,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08but actually to be in someone's new home is great.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10This is what makes it all worthwhile -
0:38:10 > 0:38:14seeing someone's new home and comparing it with the former estate.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18It's very important that people do have decent homes
0:38:18 > 0:38:20and this is an achievement.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27When they came in here from the council asking people to sign up
0:38:27 > 0:38:30for this regeneration, they promised everything.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32You get like-for-like and I said,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35"And then does that mean that everybody who's is living here
0:38:35 > 0:38:38"on the estate can come back, all my neighbours and all my friends?"
0:38:38 > 0:38:39"Oh, yes, yes, definitely."
0:38:39 > 0:38:43And everything has changed, all the people that were meant to stay here,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45most of them have been moved on.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47I said, "Now that I realise the height of the buildings
0:38:47 > 0:38:50"that you're building, they're not like-for-like.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53"It's not the beautiful little community that you promised."
0:38:53 > 0:38:56My view is at the level of life which is just up three floors,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58where I can see people.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59I kept reminding them at the meetings,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02"Can I still have the third floor, please?"
0:39:02 > 0:39:04"Oh, yes, yes."
0:39:04 > 0:39:08And then I just found out the other day that the flat
0:39:08 > 0:39:10that I've been watching going up and being built,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13for the last year and a half has just been sold.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15When they came into this estate with the plans,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18way, way back all those years, why didn't they just sit down with us
0:39:18 > 0:39:20and say, "Look, this is what we're building,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22"where do you think you might like to live?"
0:39:22 > 0:39:24And, you know, "We'll try and hammer out a deal."
0:39:24 > 0:39:26And then they carry on their building
0:39:26 > 0:39:28and then we're all happy.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33But, you know, no, they prefer to just slowly build in front of you
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and torment you as they go along, torment you with the building work,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39torment you with the noise, torment you with the lorries,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43torment you with the dust and the grime that we have to breathe in
0:39:43 > 0:39:46and then torment you with threats -
0:39:46 > 0:39:48"If you don't move, the CPO is going to come in -
0:39:48 > 0:39:50"the compulsory purchase order -
0:39:50 > 0:39:53"and we're going to take your homes from you."
0:39:54 > 0:39:57How can you trust anybody after that? You can't trust them.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59You can't trust them.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- INTERVIEWER:- For the residents, there is a feeling, I think,
0:40:03 > 0:40:08that the council is more interested in the interests of the developers.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10No, that is not the case.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13The council has been batting for the local residents all the time.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16The local councillors had been vociferous in expressing
0:40:16 > 0:40:19the concerns of local residents.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21I think the council has done a good job in dealing with
0:40:21 > 0:40:23the developers on this scheme.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31At the start of the regeneration, leaseholders were promised
0:40:31 > 0:40:33like-for-like homes on the new estate.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Today, the only way they can afford to stay is to take up
0:40:39 > 0:40:43the developer's offer of shared equity, which means they will own
0:40:43 > 0:40:45just 50% of the property.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47When they came to us and said like-for-like,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50like-for-like is a maisonette for a maisonette, right?
0:40:50 > 0:40:53But never in one million years would you dream that the property
0:40:53 > 0:40:55you are going to own is going to be small,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58it's going to be a flat and you are only going to own half.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02And this is how it is.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Because Lee bought her maisonette after 2002,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17she is not eligible for shared equity. So she is looking elsewhere.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Hello. I am just coming to enquire as to what might be available,
0:41:24 > 0:41:31- property-wise, in and around Hendon, Colindale, west London area.- OK.
0:41:31 > 0:41:37I can tell you... Well, I live in West Hendon at the moment.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- OK, whereabouts?- Just over the other side of the Edgware Road,
0:41:40 > 0:41:44- Marriots Close.- OK, the estate? - I'm actually a leaseholder.
0:41:44 > 0:41:51- Now we are having to get out. They are offering us basically 212.- OK.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56I don't suppose you have anything in that range of 212?
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Yeah...
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I appreciate if I move out of London
0:42:00 > 0:42:04I could get something quite nice, possibly.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07- You'd have to move quite far out of London!- Yeah, I know. I know.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11This is the problem that all of us are facing.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Just say for example,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17something in an established purpose-built block in Hendon,
0:42:17 > 0:42:23last February, March would have maybe sold for 200-210, a one-bed.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27- In just over a year, it has gone up 60 grand.- Hm.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32You may even struggle to get a decent one-bed for that
0:42:32 > 0:42:34sort of money around Hendon.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37No disrespect to yourself, but you won't find it easy getting
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- a mortgage at your age, as well. - I wouldn't get a mortgage. I wouldn't.- Yeah.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44So, unfortunately, it's going to be difficult.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46I wish I had better news for you.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- Sorry.- It's possibly only what I expected.- Yeah.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00Dorothy has had to wait three weeks to get access to her belongings.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09So how long have you got now?
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I have got till two o'clock.
0:43:12 > 0:43:17That's like two hours to pack at least what I need from here.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23So, basically, all I'd be doing is grabbing my things
0:43:23 > 0:43:25and throwing them into boxes.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30CONSTRUCTION NOISE
0:43:32 > 0:43:36It does bring back a lot of memories.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40I remember coming in here and sitting here when I hadn't
0:43:40 > 0:43:45decorated and actually feeling a sigh of relief,
0:43:45 > 0:43:49my housing was now secure and I was at college and I was working
0:43:49 > 0:43:54and I felt so much more at ease.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57- And to think that... - CLICKS FINGERS
0:43:58 > 0:44:02Overnight, I feel like it has all started all over again.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29Katrina, the last non-secure tenant in her block, has lost her
0:44:29 > 0:44:31fight to stay in West Hendon.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34They're moving me to another estate.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Apparently I'm going to be there for three years
0:44:36 > 0:44:39and then they're going to move me on again, which they don't know where.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41It could be out of London.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44They told me yesterday that I have to be out by Friday
0:44:44 > 0:44:45and they gave me keys today,
0:44:45 > 0:44:50so basically I have had one day to pack, get everything together.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54I'll miss my view in the morning, and the birds.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56Even now, about seven o'clock,
0:44:56 > 0:45:01the birds start to fly over, it starts to get bit darker.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04A nice breeze comes in and stuff like that, I will miss it.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06It's a big change for me.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10It's a big, big step, but change has to happen sometimes.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30You know what? All these beautiful trees will go.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Heartbreaking.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40The homeowners have had no luck in pushing up the purchase price,
0:45:40 > 0:45:44but the developers have put more money on the table.
0:45:44 > 0:45:50We've been offered a 20,000 incentive payment on top
0:45:50 > 0:45:55of what they want to pay for your home - not everybody is getting the same.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59But it's got to be everybody.
0:45:59 > 0:46:05If one person doesn't agree, that's it, we've all lost out.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09You know, it's everybody for themselves.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13We all might stick together, but when it comes to the nitty-gritty,
0:46:13 > 0:46:16at the very end, you've all got to think about yourself.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24They destroyed the community anyway.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27They've split up friends, families.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32I don't think they care, really. I really don't think they care.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Although it is nine months since the public inquiry,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19and there's still no decision on the compulsory purchase order,
0:47:19 > 0:47:23the leaseholders are under increasing pressure to sell.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27The £20,000 offered by the developers to encourage them
0:47:27 > 0:47:31to move out quickly is causing confusion.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35We need to get this clarified. It's going on too long now.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Different things seem to be coming out.
0:47:37 > 0:47:43Yeah. We don't trust anyone. Nobody. They keep moving the goalposts.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47They tell you this and that, then somebody else tells you something else.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50So many rumours and nonsense going round, it's unbelievable.
0:47:50 > 0:47:56If you don't agree to the incentive payment or whatever else it is,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58you could end up 20 grand down.
0:47:58 > 0:48:03So, people need to think really carefully before they say yes
0:48:03 > 0:48:05or no to that.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07This letter says, "To secure your 20,000,
0:48:07 > 0:48:13"you must exchange contracts for sale before 1st November 2015.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17"If you are not already looking for somewhere to move to,
0:48:17 > 0:48:21"I suggest that you now do so as a matter of urgency to ensure
0:48:21 > 0:48:24"that you do not miss out on the £20,000."
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Throughout this whole process, the council
0:48:29 > 0:48:33and Barratt have been trying to pick off people one by one...
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Trying to create division between your neighbours and you to force you
0:48:36 > 0:48:38to accept something you don't really want.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42'The psychological warfare has worked with us all.'
0:48:42 > 0:48:45As you know, I had picked a flat and lost it.
0:48:45 > 0:48:51So, the word has gone out, there's very few on offer left,
0:48:51 > 0:48:53you better start dealing now.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56You know, another property came up that had a view
0:48:56 > 0:48:59and of course people want to go for it so they have more or less
0:48:59 > 0:49:03said you have to sell now, otherwise it's going to happen like the
0:49:03 > 0:49:06last one, if someone comes forward before you, we have to give it away.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10So I said OK.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14I didn't realise that was actually happening to others, as well.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18Until it happened to us and then through this process,
0:49:18 > 0:49:19I have learnt of others.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21It's money, it's business
0:49:21 > 0:49:24and human beings are like little pawns on the chessboard,
0:49:24 > 0:49:28having to be moved around when money and profits are involved.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I get off the bus every morning going to work
0:49:32 > 0:49:36and I go into the Polish church and...she's a Polish nun,
0:49:36 > 0:49:42Sister Faustina, and I talk to her every single morning of my life.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44So I know that things will work out.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Surely they're not all hard-nosed businessmen - surely amongst
0:49:47 > 0:49:52all those businessmen somebody has some type of moral values...
0:49:54 > 0:49:57..and realise when people have been pushed enough and can take no more.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06- It's raining again.- Hi, Jackie!
0:50:06 > 0:50:09- How are you doing?- Come in.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Quick, come in because it's cold and raining.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Jackie P has also decided to buy a flat in the new build.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17The reason I took this,
0:50:17 > 0:50:20I'm not well enough to go around the countryside looking.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22It has affected your health big time, I know.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25I have never seen you this ill.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28I told you...
0:50:28 > 0:50:31- CAT MEWS - Hush. Billy.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36- It's affecting a lot of people in different ways.- I know, Jackie.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- But you're downsizing to a one-bed? - Yes.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41You're happy with that decision?
0:50:41 > 0:50:44Not really, but I have to have a roof over my head,
0:50:44 > 0:50:45the same as everybody else.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Yes.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57In late November,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00the decision on the compulsory purchase order is finally announced.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03It has ruled in favour of the council.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04Given the outcome of the inquiry,
0:51:04 > 0:51:08how do you feel as individuals?
0:51:08 > 0:51:11I came here tonight cos I haven't seen you all for a while.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- It's really upsetting what's happened.- Hm.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19I just want to hear from you as individuals,
0:51:19 > 0:51:20how can we help each other now?
0:51:20 > 0:51:24- You want us to break down and cry? - No, no.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27So we're not doing it, we've accepted it.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31- Have you done that on your own, though?- Yes, I broke down and cried.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35I'll have to work until I am 80 years of age to afford a property.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37I don't want to work until I'm 80.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39I've been working since I was 15 years of age.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I should be retiring next year, but I can't.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46The people who've taken part in it so far should really be proud
0:51:46 > 0:51:49of what they've achieved because they done a fantastic amount.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52You've really achieved a hell of a lot.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56A damn sight more than what you'd've done if you'd sat on your arses.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58If people want to continue,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02they got to be serious because it's now serious money.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06- OK, because it goes to a QC... - People haven't got that sort of money.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11I tell you now, with that CPO, the way it came in,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15it's going to be exactly the same if you start going to court
0:52:15 > 0:52:19and High Courts and Supreme Courts - you cannot beat the system.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23PIANO PLAYS
0:52:28 > 0:52:33Lee has reluctantly signed over her home in a contract which
0:52:33 > 0:52:36contains a confidentiality clause.
0:52:36 > 0:52:41Do you think you can say you now have a date you have to leave?
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Well, I guess that's general knowledge, isn't it?
0:52:47 > 0:52:51I've got to be out by 15th January.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58- Do you think you can say how that makes you feel?- No.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Because there are no words.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05There are no words that could even remotely,
0:53:05 > 0:53:12remotely come close to the emotional torture
0:53:12 > 0:53:17I guess you could almost say that we are being put through.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22If you gave me the most amazing house,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25I'd never ever get over losing this one.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29It'll never, ever really leave me.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Because it's just gone far too deep.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57The new block, Lakeview, is finished.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Jackie P is moving into her shared equity one-bedroom flat.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Billy, your new home!
0:54:22 > 0:54:24CAT MEWS
0:54:26 > 0:54:29BIRDS CALL
0:54:34 > 0:54:39- Happy New Year.- Happy New Year. - Happy New Year.
0:54:39 > 0:54:40Let's hope it's a good one.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48All the homeowners have agreed to move out before the deadline,
0:54:48 > 0:54:51in the hope of getting the extra £20,000.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56Joe has not been able to find a new flat locally and is leaving London.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07It's amazing, you say hello to people, you know,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10every day of your life,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13you say how are you, everyone says OK... They usually do.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17Talk about the weather, but it's so sad...
0:55:24 > 0:55:26It's the end of my family.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29It's the end of my family, that's it.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36GENERAL CHATTER
0:55:36 > 0:55:39See you sometime. Give us a call, yeah?
0:55:39 > 0:55:43Only eight of the homeowners have purchased flats on the new estate.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45Take care, yeah?
0:55:46 > 0:55:48In order to keep her view,
0:55:48 > 0:55:53Jackie C has bought a 50% share of a £530,000 flat.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Hello, come in.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Sorry about the mess... You OK?
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Sorry about the mess,
0:56:04 > 0:56:08but this is what you call 20-odd years of your life.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13- Do you think you will be happy here? - I hope so.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18A beautiful home doesn't really make a beautiful life - friends
0:56:18 > 0:56:22and family make a beautiful life.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27So that appeals to me more than "a beautiful home,"
0:56:27 > 0:56:31but I need a home, of course. Yeah. I'm happy.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36- What appealed to me mostly is the view.- Lovely.- Isn't it?
0:56:46 > 0:56:50How does it feel looking at your old flat?
0:56:50 > 0:56:53Well, I'm not sad. But...
0:56:55 > 0:57:01It's the past. This is the future. This is now.
0:57:01 > 0:57:07Got to go with it, haven't you? It's cosy, warm and quiet.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11You hardly hear the men at work. I love it.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15I'm happy.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I'm happy.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19What can I say? I'm happy.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28- Do you know where you will go?- No.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31- Have you made a decision? - Nope. No.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34I know where I'm going temporarily.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38I don't know after that for sure, nothing is set in stone.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40So...
0:57:40 > 0:57:44I thought I'd experienced almost every human emotion there was,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47but I hadn't till now, I tell you.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49You know.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Meter reading.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Right.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07That can stay where it is.
0:58:07 > 0:58:08Thank you.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Right.