The Estate We're In

Overlooking the Welsh Harp nature reserve in North London,

the West Hendon estate was built in the late 1960s

to provide 680 council homes.

I came to West Hendon estate 45 years ago.

The community spirit here is amazing. Always has been.

Growing up here was really nice. We just used to run free.

It was wicked. It was amazing.

These are our homes, these are our memories. These are happy times.

Look what we have here. We have maisonettes, like little houses.

Look at the view we have - the river, the forest, the greenery.

Today, the area is undergoing a multi-million-pound regeneration.

The council has decided the old estate is beyond repair.

The buildings are grotty down there. They need rebuilding.

There can be no doubt.

It will be demolished and replaced with 2,000 new flats,

most of them for private sale.

Filmed over a year, this is the story of the residents who

have been told that they will need to leave their homes.

They call us a slum.

Must be joking! You know.

I'm sorry, but it's not, is it?

In spite of the redevelopment going on around them,

all the homes on the old West Hendon estate are still occupied.

If the council and developers get their way, in 12 months' time,

195 will be demolished.

Yeah, have a good look, you prats.

SHE PLAYS "FUR ELISE"

Many residents, like Lee, have lived here since the 1970s.

This used to be our park.

And now we have this.

It was an amazing thing to have social housing.

I ended up with 45 years of the most beautiful view.

Somewhere where it was safe for my children to play

and it was open and fresh air and trees and flowers and grass.

We had everything. Everything.

You know? Which is slowly being robbed.

They say, "We're doing this for the benefit of the people of West Hendon."

No, they're not. Show me one thing that's to our benefit.

The benefit is for them. Not us.

Today, the developers have come to the estate to present

the models for the next phase of building.

RESIDENTS SING: # We shall not We shall not be moved

# Just like a tree That's standing by the waterside

# We shall not be moved. #

Since 2002, when the plans were first announced,

opposition on the estate has been growing.

We're not here to make requests any more, we're here to make demands.

That's it. Because we tried requesting, been totally ignored.

From now on, unless anything changes, it's demands.

Leaseholder Jasmin Parsons bought her flat from the council in 1988

and is leading the residents' campaign.

She has successfully called for an independent inquiry into

whether the development is in the public interest.

We're going up to Hendon Toad Hall for the public inquiry because

we've raised objections against the Compulsory Purchase Order,

ie the CPO, from being put on our homes,

and to stop our public land being stolen and put into private hands.

This is a massive abuse of our human rights as a community.

If this project continues, there will be nothing left for us.

For them, pounds. For us, broken promises, more tears.

We were all promised that we, the community,

would not suffer as a result of the original project.

We are all suffering.

See all this here?

We had one of these here today earlier on.

Stinking fumes, the engine going, so we got that turned off.

A lot of people are feeling unwell because they are suffering

from the pollution that they are causing here.

Jackie P bought her maisonette under the Right to Buy.

The new building work has been going on around her for the past year.

Oh, Lord! That is like a spaceship taking off.

Right, well, he's over our roof. He's definitely over the roof.

Council leaders, they've all got the same attitude.

And I just think that they hope that people will crack.

Well, we're not going to. It doesn't matter how much...

I think they've be able to do it in other estates,

somehow they got away with it. But here...

I don't think they thought that

everybody would actually get together...

and support each other. I don't think they expected that.

Don't put pressure on the people of West Hendon.

They're a bolshie lot.

Well, people are sitting back and haven't got a clue.

Anywhere there's a council estate in London,

they're coming to you next.

-Yes. Absolutely.

-And you better be prepared.

MUSIC: Kyrie Eleison

# Kyrie, kyrie... #

West Hendon is one of 90 estates

currently being regenerated in London.

Successive governments have given private developers

an increasing role in rebuilding post-war housing estates -

a policy embraced by both Labour and Tory councils.

The vision is to create a genuine mixed community

where people live in all tenures and they live together,

and replace a council estate that was built in the 1960s

which is in poor condition and needs to be replaced.

CHANTING

Campaigners argue that private redevelopment is destroying

social housing and driving low-income families out of London.

In the second week of the public inquiry, council estate

residents from all over London marched to Barnet Town Hall.

I wrote this letter in objection to the Compulsory Purchase Order

as the former community organiser on the West Hendon estate.

What I have witnessed in my time working on the estate

are the informal networks that make living in low-incomes possible.

The informal carers to those bed-ridden,

the informal childcare that enables people to go out to work or to study.

I believe this community spirit is generally only still found

on estates like West Hendon.

And it's that which is currently being torn apart.

They have lived through years of planning blight,

now they live on a permanent building site,

and as they watch the new homes being built,

they do so knowing they will be unlikely to be living in one of them.

Regeneration in Barnet appears to be about the open political

and ideological pursuit of replacing low-income households with high-income households.

-APPLAUSE AND CHEERING MAN:

-Well said!

I don't know about you guys,

but I think you've got a hell of a lot to celebrate,

and this whole public inquiry

is you showing them that you're not just going to stand down and let

your homes be taken away, let your community be destroyed,

that you're going to fight back and you're going to stand up for your homes.

So, massive round of applause to all of you. Fantastic.

APPLAUSE

-SHE SHOUTS:

-Whose West Hendon?!

-ALL:

-Our West Hendon!

MUSIC

CHATTER AND MUSIC

Joe has lived on the estate for 31 years

and bought his flat in the 1990s.

Three generations of his family live locally.

I'm sorry to see it happening.

I'm really, really... I'd love to keep the neighbours we have now

and move us all in one place like we were promised.

Now they've split up the whole community, they have.

Moved them everywhere and anywhere.

They just want to get rid of all the properties.

Who would sell land like this, all for £3? Who?

Wish they'd sell it to me.

The sale of publicly owned land valued at £12 million to the developers for just £3

is one of the main grievances residents have against the council.

Yes, it was sold for £3,

but Barratts have assumed the cost of all the rebuilding,

the new community centre, a new school, all the infrastructure,

moving an enormous sewer,

which was one of the first things that was done.

There's no public money to spend on housing,

and this is a way of getting things done.

It's not an option to leave something ghastly for people to moulder in,

and we have to build new properties.

On the final day of the inquiry,

Barnet Council's legal team sums up the case for the

compulsory purchase of the flats owned by the leaseholders.

The case for the CPO must be judged by reference to current policy.

In this case, much of the substance of the objections are political in nature.

The consistent theme of a number of the objections has been

the residents' views have been ignored.

This is not true.

Much of the residents' evidence has comprised

complaints about the way in which they have been treated,

failure to recognise their particular needs, and even bullying and harassment.

These allegations are simply not accepted.

We request the Secretary of State to confirm the order.

Well done, my dear.

The inspector's recommendations will go to the Secretary of State,

and it could be months before a decision is announced.

In the meantime, the building works continue,

along with plans to move the existing tenants.

The council and developers have a duty to rehouse the secure tenants

who lived on the estate before 2002.

They are building them a separate block away from the water -

Bullfinch House.

Cindy is a secure tenant who will be moving to the new block.

I used to sit down there in my bikini many years ago,

put the sunbed down there, put my orange and what have you.

It was wonderful.

Lived here 36 years.

When I first came here it was teas out in the garden, doors open,

wonderful. Most fabulous community.

But since the regen has started about 11 years ago,

it's just deteriorated.

They just haven't bothered with the estate,

they've just let it run down.

I don't think anything's done for OUR benefit.

"Get rid of these people that are in these flats,

"we'll knock them down, build beautiful penthouse suites

"that are going for over half a million,

"and we'll be fine."

They've taken all our greenery away.

They've got a bloody great big lift shaft going up. Have you seen it?

18 or whatever floors.

All that is going to be buildings, so that's going be in front of us.

If I was 36 or 37, I would probably be fighting tooth and nail.

But, you know, I'm tired and I can't.

I haven't got it in me to fight, to be honest with you.

That's it. So...

-Bullshit House, here I come.

-SHE CHUCKLES

Every three months, the council

and developers meet with residents to discuss the regeneration.

The private partners refused requests to take part

in the filming, or to allow cameras into any of the meetings.

-Hi, Fran.

-Hiya.

-How you doing?

-Not bad, thank you.

-Nathan?

Do you think you might be able to say something at the end of the meeting?

About what just took place?

Um... Probably not. Probably not.

Not today, anyway.

What have they got to hide? This is supposed to be a public meeting.

What's wrong with these people?

It's going in the plants.

While the secure tenants know they will be rehoused,

other residents, including those who've bought their homes,

have no such security, and continue to protest.

I think it's a load of...rubbish.

There's not enough protesters out there.

They want to have some more.

-Got any water there, have you, for the dog?

-The dog?

-Drop of water.

-Just a minute.

-WOMAN:

-Put the kettle on.

She's getting a drop of water for the dog.

We've got no say, we haven't, about it. Because we've got nowhere to move, have we?

We shouldn't be here, mate. We shouldn't be here.

We should have settled last year before this building went up here.

What money are you going to get?

This is it, you don't know what you're going to get.

If I can't buy a home in Hendon, I don't want to know.

-And you don't want to know, either, do you?

-No.

You've got to be able to buy a home in Hendon for what they're going to pay us.

And that's it.

The estate's leaseholders are in dispute with the developers

over the market value of their homes.

Jackie C wants to stay in West Hendon, but the price she's been offered

for her maisonette falls well below the price of flats on the new estate.

-Hmm.

-SHE READS:

-"One, two and three-bedroom homes currently

"available from 303,000 to 567,000."

And I've been offered 170,000.

-INTERVIEWER:

-And what were you offered first time?

130,000. So that's... 300,000 less.

Anybody that walks in here always goes, "Oh, this is lovely!"

Because immediately you see the view. Trees, forests, the lakes.

And yet they say, "Right, out you go.

"Here's 130,000, out you go."

Strange, isn't it? Something a bit unfair about it all.

MUSIC: Puttin' On The Ritz

The first block to be completed in the regeneration was Lakeside.

Nicholas bought his flat in 2012.

I don't think you could find a view like this in London for

less than, I don't know, 1.4 million.

But here it was obviously a lot less.

But I'm in Zone 3, I can get into the city very quickly.

But come out, and at night it's as peaceful as anything.

All you can hear is the geese on the lake

and the swans flapping their wings on the water.

So this is what I really wanted.

I'm really, really happy here.

In the last three years there's buildings going up everywhere,

which I think is only going to be a great improvement for the area,

with improved open spaces and great social,

economic and environmental improvements for the residents.

MUSIC: Cello Suite No. 1 by Bach

SHE SIGHS

Won't get this, will I?

I can't bear it, my poor flat.

See? I'm supposed to read my meter. I can't do all this in one day.

That's rubbish.

See, all my medicine's up there.

I don't know if I've got any in the bag, but I've got palpitations.

It's coming to reality now.

When I've seen my mum do it, that was a bit of a shock,

but now that I'm seeing everyone...

My neighbour's gone now, seeing Cindy packing up,

the other neighbour's gone. That's the reality of it now.

Everyone's going.

-I'm going to be the last one here.

-SHE CHUCKLES

You OK?

Unlike the secure tenants, those who moved onto the estate

after 2002 are not included in the regeneration and will be evicted.

Katrina, who lived with her mother until she got her own flat in 2009,

was surprised to discover that this applied to her.

I've lived here all my life and my mum has lived there

since she was five as well.

So I signed a tenancy thinking I had a secure tenancy

and now I've got my notice to quit, um...

When I got my notice to quit,

that's when I realised I wasn't secure,

so at the moment I'm fighting my case.

It's not a nice feeling to be an unsecure tenant.

I don't have rights on where my next accommodation would be,

I don't have rights on even the say within the region, even though

I've lived here 31 years of my life.

I feel hopeless for my child, I feel hopeless for me.

Slowly, everything's just

fading away and there's nothing that we can do about it.

We're fighting and we're trying, but we're not being heard.

PROTEST OVER PA SYSTEM

While waiting for the outcome of the inquiry,

campaigners have gathered 130,000 signatures on a petition

which they're presenting to the council at Barnet Town Hall.

I'm going to ask Jasmin Parsons.

Jasmin, if you would like to speak and present your position,

-thank you very much.

-Thank you.

Toads! The reason why we're here today is because the bloody toads

are doing this to all the residents in this borough

and we don't like it.

This was your promise -

every single resident would get a home on that estate,

every single resident,

and you should be honouring that, not ignoring us.

The right of reply, Councillor Daniel Thomas.

I just want to clear up the facts about the number of houses

that are going to be built, the social rent houses.

There will be 258 social rented units -

that is a net reduction of 220 and we've been quite open about that.

What people don't...

forget, sorry, is that there's going to be

an increase of 285 low-cost ownership properties...

-No, no, no!

-..which actually...

Who can afford it? I can't afford it and I'm one of them!

So, Mr Mayor, we debated this matter numerous times at committee

and this chamber. I've not yet heard a compelling case to change

-the course that we're pursuing.

-You're not listening.

Mr Mayor, we will continue with the policy.

-Cos you're not listening!

-Thank you very much.

'There will always be conflicts and we, as a council,

'need to do what's best'

for the residents and for the local community

and the taxpayer at large,

but we must never forget that what we're about

is creating new, vibrant communities

and also providing new homes for our ever-increasing population.

Yeah, I can understand being moved from different homes

is going to be distressing, but Barnet Homes do an excellent job

of providing as much support as we can to people who have to move.

By the end of June, most of the 86 non-secure tenants

affected by this phase of building have been moved off the estate.

According to the council, nearly half of them

have been given five-year tenancies elsewhere in Barnet.

Dorothy, who has lived here with her daughter since 2011,

has not been given any such offer.

They said they posted an eviction letter to me

which was dated 1st June, but it did not actually come through my door

until 27th June.

I went to the court to apply for an extension, but yesterday the judge

just looked at my application and told me she was beyond her remit.

But I've had some lady walking into my living room this morning

and I could hear people going up my stairs.

I wasn't aware they had a key, I wasn't aware they had a key.

Most of my things are still packed in, like, the cupboards.

I've got things in the storage. There's...

No-one's telling me where they're going, where I'm going.

All I've been told is that emergency accommodation

will be provided for you, it's in the borough of Westminster.

My daughter's nine, she's at school.

She's never heard of eviction.

She thought everybody's home was their home.

She never knew that people would come and literally kick us out.

My worst fear is that I'm going to be put somewhere

and I'm going to be given no choice but to go,

knowing full well within myself

it's not going to be in my best interest,

not for progression, because, no, I don't want to be

a member of society that's... that's unable to...

..support myself, to make myself somebody in this world.

HE MUTTERS

Joe and his fellow homeowners agreed to enter arbitration

to resolve the dispute over their house prices.

"Disturbance compensation..."

Today, the new offers have arrived.

I knew it!

Purchase price 214,500.

I knew it!

HE CHUCKLES

-INTERVIEWER:

-Were you hoping for more, Joe?

-Of course I was.

You can't buy anything for that price round here.

What can you buy for 214,000? Nothing.

-Hi, Lee, come in.

-Hi, Jackie. Thank you.

Thanks.

-Hi.

-Are you disappointed?

-I'm angry.

-And so am I.

-I'm very upset, because we've been stitched up.

-Oh, big time.

-So...

-We don't accept this.

-We're going to do something about it.

-They're not getting away with it.

-No. Certainly not.

-Sorry.

-Would you like a cup of tea?

-Oh, no thanks, Jackie.

We thought you were away.

I'm meant to be out of London this morning,

but this letter came earlier and I couldn't drive. I couldn't drive so I'm going later...

You're too upset?

Yeah, well, I wouldn't be able to see where I was going.

Think we had a fight before - we've got a fight on our hands now.

We have, one big fight.

Providing we all stick together, that's the problem.

-Well, we've got to.

-You're the same as ours is.

-Er, 211.

You're joking?!

-Why did they value yours at 211, then?

-Don't ask me, Joe.

You see, I think that's wrong. If we've all got the same-sized property...

Apparently they've distinguished two floors.

And the ground floor's better off than this floor.

-If you're ground floor, you're better off.

-That's ridiculous.

-We've got a better view, it's higher.

-I know.

That's what I brought up because the new - the higher it goes,

the more expensive it becomes. They're trying to shaft us, Joe.

-They're trying to...

-We are shafted already.

-Yeah.

Well, that's right, you're right, Lee, and...

-We're not going to let them get away with it.

-No, most certainly not.

-Right, OK, then. See you Saturday.

-Bye, Joe, have a lovely holiday.

-Have a lovely week, Joe.

-See you Saturday.

Despite their disappointment, the terms of the arbitration mean that

their only option will be to ask the developers for an increased offer.

Cindy is one of 71 secure tenants moved to the new block.

-INTERVIEWER:

-So, Cindy, tell me how you're doing.

-I'm not.

I'm not.

You don't see anybody at all.

You don't see a soul.

Where I was before, I left my door open and people - "Whoo!"

You know? It wasn't...

I never had a problem and everybody, of course, knew me

when you've lived there for so long.

I don't even want to unpack anything,

I don't want to do anything, I really don't.

SHE SNIFFS

-Hi.

-All right, come in. Hello.

Jackie's friend Pamela lives on the floor below Cindy.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Pamela, will you tell me where you were living before?

I was living in Franklin House on the second floor.

I had a quite nice flat

-and I made it nice inside and I had a lovely view.

-Until?

Until they told us we had to move, so they allocated this flat for me

and I'm happy with the flat,

I'm happy with the size of the rooms and it's quite spacious

and it meets my needs.

Only thing, I don't like the traffic outside.

Now we just look on a busy road, but, hey, we can't have everything.

-The estate couldn't stay as it was.

-No, no, I quite agree,

-but then a lot of people feel...

-The estate was tatty. It was run-down.

Would you have preferred them to have done something than knock it down?

-Honestly?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Well, I'm the opposite.

I'm glad they're knocking it down because I think it's beyond repair.

Franklin House and Marriott, those are all going to come down

and they're going to build more blocks of flats.

And then it's going to be landscaped as well, apparently, I'm told.

Where? When I looked at the plans...

..there was no little gardens or anything.

In, let's say, 15 years' time, you won't recognise this area, it will

just be flats and buildings upon buildings upon buildings.

And you will probably find all over London

things like this happening.

Today is the opening of Barratt's showroom

and prospective buyers will be viewing the new flats.

CHANTING: Stop social cleansing! Stop social cleansing!

CHANTING CONTINUES

They're demolishing all these houses? Is that what they're doing?

They're throwing people out of their homes,

and giving them peanuts, peanuts.

You feel powerless.

It's your home.

You're being turned out of it,

not through having done anything wrong.

I don't want to spend the rest of my life shut in a tower block.

I know people that live in tower blocks

and they all say the same thing - you're so isolated.

Although I would never buy one of their properties,

I'm going to see what it's like.

Pure curiosity.

QUIET CONVERSATION

There are 142 flats in the new block.

The ones with a view cost half a million pounds

and Lee is told they have all been sold in the first morning.

Quite impressed.

It's very well-organised in there.

I had a glass of rose, one of my favourites,

and a little hors d'oeuvre

and a square piece of beef on a stick, you dip it into the sauce.

There were some there with a balcony

straight onto the Welsh Harp,

very nice, lovely breeze, peaceful, tranquil. Very nice.

I have to say, um,

they were bigger than I thought they would be,

they look nice because they're brand-new, etc, etc,

Erm...I still wouldn't have one. No way. No way.

# Show me the way to go home

# I'm tired and I wanna go to bed

# They knocked them down about an hour ago

# And they built this show home instead

# Oh... #

The sales office was always on the water down here,

so it wasn't until it moved that I had to actually walk through

the estate and that's when I became aware of the picketing.

I actually didn't really know what was going on and the upset

that was being experienced by people who have been here for a long time.

So that was a bit of an education and an eye-opener,

but they're living in accommodation which is already in disrepair

and falling down and they are going to be moved into places

which are bigger and better and much more modern.

And that's what would be really great with the regeneration.

When I first moved here, I couldn't imagine moving out

because when I first got into the place

I really loved it and it has been a great investment already.

I've actually bought another place along the lake because I have

loved it so much and it has been such a good investment for myself.

Hopefully, somebody else can enjoy it, too.

Dorothy has been without her possessions for four days,

having missed an appointment the day after her eviction.

-Hi, come in.

-Hiya.

This is my new emergency accommodation.

This is my kitchen/living room. Very basic.

No pots, no pans, no cutlery, no plates,

nothing, nothing at all.

And come this way.

This is supposed to be my daughter's room.

-INTERVIEWER:

-Is she staying here?

-She can't.

I mean, the smell of damp in here alone.

This is where they've been chewing through.

You hear them, "Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!"

They think that this is their playground.

-It's very pest friendly, I'd say.

-So where's your daughter staying?

At the moment, she is staying with her grandmother, my mum,

in an overcrowded two-bedroom flat in Cricklewood.

Hopefully, until Barnet Council give me an answer

as to when and how or where I'll be going with my daughter

and my belongings that I'm not actually allowed access to.

-What do you need to get out of your flat?

-Everything.

My tumble dryer, my Hoover, my daughter's clothes,

sentimental things like my pictures.

Bedsheets. There wasn't even a duvet for emergency accommodation

or a pillow.

I've got one bag which I was told...

When I was leaving, he said, "Oh, just grab an overnight bag."

And it's been four overnights with the one change of clothes.

They are paying £71.95 a night for me to stay here.

I could've been in my own home, in my own bed.

But my house is there, empty.

I could be in my home, packing my things,

even if I was given up until next week, packing my belongings,

somewhere where I felt comfortable and I felt safe.

Morning. Hannah Waterside. You're through to Barratt London.

How can I help you?

The waterside block, Lakeview, is for private sale,

but a small number of flats have been held for current homeowners.

Council leader Richard Cornelius is given a tour of the building.

-This one, number 18.

-Mm-hm.

Wow!

-Nice floor.

-Mmm.

And so what's this?

-This is the bedroom?

-This is a two-bedroom flat

reserved for one of our existing leaseholders on the estate, so

you're in the main bedroom here with and en suite to the left-hand side.

-Moving into the living/dining space.

-Wow! What a super room.

-There's plenty of room in here.

-Yeah.

-It's a nice-sized balcony.

-No, this is very nice.

-A great view of the Welsh Harp.

-Yeah, nice view of suburban London.

-Yeah, yeah.

Probably four fifths of them now have exchanged contracts.

So you're winning.

-Are you winning?

-We are, we are, we are.

Just have about eight left, leaseholders in CPO one.

-And how many are trouble?

-Erm... A couple, a couple. Yeah.

-That's good.

-Yeah.

-OK, that's good.

-I can see Harrow on the Hill in the distance, as well.

-You can, yes.

Right, I'm impressed, actually. It's great. Yeah.

Because one of the satisfactions of being a councillor

is when something actually gets done.

All too often it's planning, preparation, da-dun-da-dun-da-dun,

but actually to be in someone's new home is great.

This is what makes it all worthwhile -

seeing someone's new home and comparing it with the former estate.

It's very important that people do have decent homes

and this is an achievement.

When they came in here from the council asking people to sign up

for this regeneration, they promised everything.

You get like-for-like and I said,

"And then does that mean that everybody who's is living here

"on the estate can come back, all my neighbours and all my friends?"

"Oh, yes, yes, definitely."

And everything has changed, all the people that were meant to stay here,

most of them have been moved on.

I said, "Now that I realise the height of the buildings

"that you're building, they're not like-for-like.

"It's not the beautiful little community that you promised."

My view is at the level of life which is just up three floors,

where I can see people.

I kept reminding them at the meetings,

"Can I still have the third floor, please?"

"Oh, yes, yes."

And then I just found out the other day that the flat

that I've been watching going up and being built,

for the last year and a half has just been sold.

When they came into this estate with the plans,

way, way back all those years, why didn't they just sit down with us

and say, "Look, this is what we're building,

"where do you think you might like to live?"

And, you know, "We'll try and hammer out a deal."

And then they carry on their building

and then we're all happy.

But, you know, no, they prefer to just slowly build in front of you

and torment you as they go along, torment you with the building work,

torment you with the noise, torment you with the lorries,

torment you with the dust and the grime that we have to breathe in

and then torment you with threats -

"If you don't move, the CPO is going to come in -

"the compulsory purchase order -

"and we're going to take your homes from you."

How can you trust anybody after that? You can't trust them.

You can't trust them.

-INTERVIEWER:

-For the residents, there is a feeling, I think,

that the council is more interested in the interests of the developers.

No, that is not the case.

The council has been batting for the local residents all the time.

The local councillors had been vociferous in expressing

the concerns of local residents.

I think the council has done a good job in dealing with

the developers on this scheme.

At the start of the regeneration, leaseholders were promised

like-for-like homes on the new estate.

Today, the only way they can afford to stay is to take up

the developer's offer of shared equity, which means they will own

just 50% of the property.

When they came to us and said like-for-like,

like-for-like is a maisonette for a maisonette, right?

But never in one million years would you dream that the property

you are going to own is going to be small,

it's going to be a flat and you are only going to own half.

And this is how it is.

Because Lee bought her maisonette after 2002,

she is not eligible for shared equity. So she is looking elsewhere.

Hello. I am just coming to enquire as to what might be available,

-property-wise, in and around Hendon, Colindale, west London area.

-OK.

I can tell you... Well, I live in West Hendon at the moment.

-OK, whereabouts?

-Just over the other side of the Edgware Road,

-Marriots Close.

-OK, the estate?

-I'm actually a leaseholder.

-Now we are having to get out. They are offering us basically 212.

-OK.

I don't suppose you have anything in that range of 212?

Yeah...

I appreciate if I move out of London

I could get something quite nice, possibly.

-You'd have to move quite far out of London!

-Yeah, I know. I know.

This is the problem that all of us are facing.

Just say for example,

something in an established purpose-built block in Hendon,

last February, March would have maybe sold for 200-210, a one-bed.

-In just over a year, it has gone up 60 grand.

-Hm.

You may even struggle to get a decent one-bed for that

sort of money around Hendon.

No disrespect to yourself, but you won't find it easy getting

-a mortgage at your age, as well.

-I wouldn't get a mortgage. I wouldn't.

-Yeah.

So, unfortunately, it's going to be difficult.

I wish I had better news for you.

-Sorry.

-It's possibly only what I expected.

-Yeah.

Dorothy has had to wait three weeks to get access to her belongings.

So how long have you got now?

I have got till two o'clock.

That's like two hours to pack at least what I need from here.

So, basically, all I'd be doing is grabbing my things

and throwing them into boxes.

CONSTRUCTION NOISE

It does bring back a lot of memories.

I remember coming in here and sitting here when I hadn't

decorated and actually feeling a sigh of relief,

my housing was now secure and I was at college and I was working

and I felt so much more at ease.

-And to think that...

-CLICKS FINGERS

Overnight, I feel like it has all started all over again.

Katrina, the last non-secure tenant in her block, has lost her

fight to stay in West Hendon.

They're moving me to another estate.

Apparently I'm going to be there for three years

and then they're going to move me on again, which they don't know where.

It could be out of London.

They told me yesterday that I have to be out by Friday

and they gave me keys today,

so basically I have had one day to pack, get everything together.

I'll miss my view in the morning, and the birds.

Even now, about seven o'clock,

the birds start to fly over, it starts to get bit darker.

A nice breeze comes in and stuff like that, I will miss it.

It's a big change for me.

It's a big, big step, but change has to happen sometimes.

You know what? All these beautiful trees will go.

Heartbreaking.

The homeowners have had no luck in pushing up the purchase price,

but the developers have put more money on the table.

We've been offered a 20,000 incentive payment on top

of what they want to pay for your home - not everybody is getting the same.

But it's got to be everybody.

If one person doesn't agree, that's it, we've all lost out.

You know, it's everybody for themselves.

We all might stick together, but when it comes to the nitty-gritty,

at the very end, you've all got to think about yourself.

They destroyed the community anyway.

They've split up friends, families.

I don't think they care, really. I really don't think they care.

Although it is nine months since the public inquiry,

and there's still no decision on the compulsory purchase order,

the leaseholders are under increasing pressure to sell.

The £20,000 offered by the developers to encourage them

to move out quickly is causing confusion.

We need to get this clarified. It's going on too long now.

Different things seem to be coming out.

Yeah. We don't trust anyone. Nobody. They keep moving the goalposts.

They tell you this and that, then somebody else tells you something else.

So many rumours and nonsense going round, it's unbelievable.

If you don't agree to the incentive payment or whatever else it is,

you could end up 20 grand down.

So, people need to think really carefully before they say yes

or no to that.

This letter says, "To secure your 20,000,

"you must exchange contracts for sale before 1st November 2015.

"If you are not already looking for somewhere to move to,

"I suggest that you now do so as a matter of urgency to ensure

"that you do not miss out on the £20,000."

Throughout this whole process, the council

and Barratt have been trying to pick off people one by one...

Trying to create division between your neighbours and you to force you

to accept something you don't really want.

'The psychological warfare has worked with us all.'

As you know, I had picked a flat and lost it.

So, the word has gone out, there's very few on offer left,

you better start dealing now.

You know, another property came up that had a view

and of course people want to go for it so they have more or less

said you have to sell now, otherwise it's going to happen like the

last one, if someone comes forward before you, we have to give it away.

So I said OK.

I didn't realise that was actually happening to others, as well.

Until it happened to us and then through this process,

I have learnt of others.

It's money, it's business

and human beings are like little pawns on the chessboard,

having to be moved around when money and profits are involved.

I get off the bus every morning going to work

and I go into the Polish church and...she's a Polish nun,

Sister Faustina, and I talk to her every single morning of my life.

So I know that things will work out.

Surely they're not all hard-nosed businessmen - surely amongst

all those businessmen somebody has some type of moral values...

..and realise when people have been pushed enough and can take no more.

-It's raining again.

-Hi, Jackie!

-How are you doing?

-Come in.

Quick, come in because it's cold and raining.

Jackie P has also decided to buy a flat in the new build.

The reason I took this,

I'm not well enough to go around the countryside looking.

It has affected your health big time, I know.

I have never seen you this ill.

I told you...

-CAT MEWS

-Hush. Billy.

-It's affecting a lot of people in different ways.

-I know, Jackie.

-But you're downsizing to a one-bed?

-Yes.

You're happy with that decision?

Not really, but I have to have a roof over my head,

the same as everybody else.

Yes.

In late November,

the decision on the compulsory purchase order is finally announced.

It has ruled in favour of the council.

Given the outcome of the inquiry,

how do you feel as individuals?

I came here tonight cos I haven't seen you all for a while.

-It's really upsetting what's happened.

-Hm.

I just want to hear from you as individuals,

how can we help each other now?

-You want us to break down and cry?

-No, no.

So we're not doing it, we've accepted it.

-Have you done that on your own, though?

-Yes, I broke down and cried.

I'll have to work until I am 80 years of age to afford a property.

I don't want to work until I'm 80.

I've been working since I was 15 years of age.

I should be retiring next year, but I can't.

The people who've taken part in it so far should really be proud

of what they've achieved because they done a fantastic amount.

You've really achieved a hell of a lot.

A damn sight more than what you'd've done if you'd sat on your arses.

If people want to continue,

they got to be serious because it's now serious money.

-OK, because it goes to a QC...

-People haven't got that sort of money.

I tell you now, with that CPO, the way it came in,

it's going to be exactly the same if you start going to court

and High Courts and Supreme Courts - you cannot beat the system.

PIANO PLAYS

Lee has reluctantly signed over her home in a contract which

contains a confidentiality clause.

Do you think you can say you now have a date you have to leave?

Well, I guess that's general knowledge, isn't it?

I've got to be out by 15th January.

-Do you think you can say how that makes you feel?

-No.

Because there are no words.

There are no words that could even remotely,

remotely come close to the emotional torture

I guess you could almost say that we are being put through.

If you gave me the most amazing house,

I'd never ever get over losing this one.

It'll never, ever really leave me.

Because it's just gone far too deep.

The new block, Lakeview, is finished.

Jackie P is moving into her shared equity one-bedroom flat.

Billy, your new home!

CAT MEWS

BIRDS CALL

-Happy New Year.

-Happy New Year.

-Happy New Year.

Let's hope it's a good one.

All the homeowners have agreed to move out before the deadline,

in the hope of getting the extra £20,000.

Joe has not been able to find a new flat locally and is leaving London.

It's amazing, you say hello to people, you know,

every day of your life,

you say how are you, everyone says OK... They usually do.

Talk about the weather, but it's so sad...

It's the end of my family.

It's the end of my family, that's it.

GENERAL CHATTER

See you sometime. Give us a call, yeah?

Only eight of the homeowners have purchased flats on the new estate.

Take care, yeah?

In order to keep her view,

Jackie C has bought a 50% share of a £530,000 flat.

Hello, come in.

Sorry about the mess... You OK?

Sorry about the mess,

but this is what you call 20-odd years of your life.

-Do you think you will be happy here?

-I hope so.

A beautiful home doesn't really make a beautiful life - friends

and family make a beautiful life.

So that appeals to me more than "a beautiful home,"

but I need a home, of course. Yeah. I'm happy.

-What appealed to me mostly is the view.

-Lovely.

-Isn't it?

How does it feel looking at your old flat?

Well, I'm not sad. But...

It's the past. This is the future. This is now.

Got to go with it, haven't you? It's cosy, warm and quiet.

You hardly hear the men at work. I love it.

I'm happy.

I'm happy.

What can I say? I'm happy.

-Do you know where you will go?

-No.

-Have you made a decision?

-Nope. No.

I know where I'm going temporarily.

I don't know after that for sure, nothing is set in stone.

So...

I thought I'd experienced almost every human emotion there was,

but I hadn't till now, I tell you.

You know.

Meter reading.

Right.

That can stay where it is.

Thank you.

Right.