£130M makeover for Durand

£130 million makeover of Durand Estate

Demolition teams are moving in to start work on the £130 million redevelopment of the Durand Close estate in Carshalton. 

Residents will be joined by ward councillors and Tom Brake MP to celebrate the bulldozers starting work on the first phase of transforming the 1960s estate – widely used as a location for TV’s The Bill – on Wednesday 11 November at 3pm.

The Sutton Council led regeneration is the largest social housing project in the borough for several years. Residents have played a major role in the project, with over 80% in favour of the demolition, and they have worked closely with the council and developers to design their new homes.

The original estate consisted of 295 homes of mainly three and four bedroom flats and historically had the highest child density in the South East. They will be replaced with over 470 new homes, with around half of them affordable.

The first phase will see the building of 110 environmentally-friendly new homes in two to six-storey buildings. It includes apartments, a mixture of terraced houses, a community centre and a shop.  The riverside walk alongside the River Wandle, which runs past the community centre, is also being restored.

The entire £130m regeneration project will provide more than 800 new homes across the borough, along with new community and retail facilities. Financing of the project is provided by a mixture of private finance raised by Broomleigh Housing Association, part of Affinity Sutton and Rydon, a profit sharing arrangement for the private for sale housing, the provision of council owned sites and more recently grant funding from the Homes & Communities Agency which has enabled the regeneration to proceed despite the property market downturn and difficult economic conditions.

Developed by the Lavender Housing Partnership and designed by award-winning architects Pollard Thomas Edwards, all of the new homes have been designed to maximise daylight and will be equipped with energy efficient features including increased insulation and indoor recycling provision.  Pedestrian and cycle routes will also make it easy for residents to use green forms of transport and a car club will form part of an overall Sustainable Transport Strategy. 

The Lavender Housing Partnership  was formed in 2003 and includes the London Borough of Sutton, the Durand Close Residents’ Association, Broomleigh Housing Association, part of Affinity Sutton, Calfordseaden, PTE architects and Rydon Construction.

Bob Beaumont, of the Lavender Housing Partnership, said:  “We are delighted that work is now starting on transforming Durand Close.  We are confident that this investment will breathe new life into the community, provide a place where people choose to live, and create a new desirable environment for both residents and the wider community,”  

Cllr Colin Stears, Executive Member for Housing on Sutton Council, said:

“This event is a major landmark for residents on Durand Close and a tribute to their patience and desire to improve housing in the area.

“I’m thrilled that we will be able to provide hundreds more homes, many of them affordable, for people in Sutton. They will be built to high standards of sustainability and design, and will transform the area.

“I also pay tribute to the local councillors, council staff and our partners for their tireless efforts that will now see our vision for the Durand Estate realised.

Judy McDaid, chair of the Durand Close Estate Residents Association and a resident of Durand Close for 19 years, said:  "It is really exciting to see some work start. I think the redevelopment will mean a better quality of life for people living here, especially for those with children.”