Residents of a South London estate that is being demolished and rebuilt say the works have left their beds shaking, displaced rats and turned the local cemetery into an escape from the noise.

People living on the Cambridge Road Estate (CRE) in Norbiton said it is time for the estate to be regenerated because of a decline in its condition with it "falling apart". However, they claimed Kingston Council could have done more to maintain it.

The council approved plans to knock down and rebuild the 1960s and 1970s estate with 2,170 new homes in December 2021.

A total of 941 affordable homes, including 767 council homes, will be built under the scheme which is being carried out in five phases by the council and developer Countryside Partnerships.

There will be at least 114 extra council homes, along with a new community centre and outdoor spaces. The original estate had 832 homes.

Residents voted in favour of the regeneration masterplan in March 2020, with 73% of eligible residents supporting the plans and a turnout of 86%.

Demolition began on the scheme's first phase, which will deliver 452 homes, in late 2022.

Some residents have been moved into temporary accommodation while their new homes are being built, while those in later phases will able to move straight into their new homes. Residents can also choose to leave the estate, with the council helping them to find a new home.

But people living near the first phase told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the building works, which take place daily except on Sundays, are taking a toll on their health.

The council said it regrets any inconvenience, and that Countryside (the developer) is committed to minimising disruption.

Stella Flynn, 73, (left) and Donna O\'Leary, 45, (right) said they should have been moved earlier due to the works. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

Donna O'Leary, 45, said she has brain damage after suffering a fractured skull and brain haemorrhage last year. She lives with her mum Stella Flynn, 73, who said O'Leary "can't get her sleep – she's supposed to sleep".

As a result of the works, O'Leary said ornaments have "fallen off the windows and smashed", "dust is coming in" and her "bed's shaking". She said: "I don't get any sleep and I wait for it to start in the mornings."

She told the LDRS they "can't take much more" and want to "move away", adding they should have been among the first to move.

She said: "I'm getting really bad headaches. I'm vomiting in the morning again. It's getting bad." 

She added: "I just go and sit in the cemetery for some peace and quiet."

Their home is in phase five, so Flynn fears ending up with works "all round" while being "one of the last to go".

She said the works are "noisy", sometimes "vibrate the whole house", her "bed shakes" and claimed their TVs do not work properly while the works are being carried out.

She thought the home, where they have been living for 26 years, would be the last place they ever moved into. But she now wants to be moved out of the estate, away from the works, as soon as possible "for her [daughter's] health as well as [her] own."

She added: "As soon as they were doing [the works], they should have offered us somewhere to live."

Elaine Chapman, 44, moved to the estate around 15 years ago and has noticed a "giant rat hole" in her garden since the works began.

She said: "We've had an influx of rats because they were all living probably under there [the first phase site] previously and now they've demolished that, they're all making new homes under here."

The mum also raised concerns about the length of time it has taken the council to sort repairs in her property.

She said a tree grew in front of her home to the point it was "smacking the windows" and it was only cut around a month ago, despite her complaining since 2018. As it blocked out the light, she said: "It's ruined my whole garden. It's sucked the life out of everything."

Chapman added the extractor fan in her windowless bathroom "hasn't worked for years" despite contractors visiting five times to fix it. She said: "The bathroom ceiling's all peeling again now. We're getting mould."

She also claimed it took nearly two years to get a handrail installed in her home after fracturing her spine in 2018. It helps her 18-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, but she said it is now "coming off the wall" for the fourth time.

Cambridge Road Estate, Norbiton. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

Elizabeth, who did not wish to give her surname, has lived in the Graveley tower for 18 years. The 54-year-old claimed there was a leak at the ground floor for years which the council didn't fix properly until recently. She said lifts on the estate had been replaced but "keep breaking down."

She said she doesn't understand why the council is "wasting the money now when they're going to do the demolition, when they let us down for such a long time."

The council said it will continue to invest in existing homes on the estate during the regeneration process, including a £1m revamp of lifts in 2022.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the LDRS the council is "not really doing a lot" to maintain the estate "because they know it's coming down."

The 32-year-old said he was moved to another part of the estate from Graveley, where he had been living for 10 years, due to "water leaks from the waterlogged roof."

Other issues are similar across the blocks, he said, including lifts breaking down. He claimed they are "not being looked after, they're just done" and the council could do "a whole lot more" to maintain the estate.

Perry Hutchison, 56, said the blocks are "just falling apart". He claimed the council is "not really interested" in maintaining it and doesn't "address anything".

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, has lived on the estate for nearly 17 years and thinks it has become "more rundown".

He views the regeneration as "exciting" but said some residents oppose it, partly due to concern over where they'll live. He said others support the scheme because of the "state of the place and general repairs".

He said: "I think it's time for it to come down and start again. At the end of the day, it's really for the future generation, if you think about it.

"If you think this has been up over 50 years, do you think it's going to survive another 50 years? I probably won't be around then, but do you think it's going to survive that? Do you think the council can keep on putting that sticking plaster on that all the time?"

Cambridge Road Estate, Norbiton. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "We are committed to providing quality housing for residents and ensuring people in the borough have a safe and comfortable place to live.

"In 2020 residents voted overwhelmingly for the regeneration of the outdated CRE and the scheme has been developed in partnership with them. It will deliver more than 2,100 homes – a mix of flats, maisonettes and houses – with more than 940 affordable. It will make the estate a greener, more pleasant place to live.

"We are committed to continuing to invest in the existing homes on the estate during the regeneration. In 2022, we undertook a £1m refurbishment of lifts on the estate and we plan further investment through a targeted programme following a comprehensive property survey.

"Last year we completed over 20,000 repairs for our social housing tenants and we encourage residents to report any repairs and maintenance issues to us, so we can commission the necessary work to their homes. CRE housing officers are on site each week at the local office on the estate.

"We work closely with the CRE Community Board and resident representatives to regularly listen to and act on feedback from tenants.

"We regret any inconvenience experienced due to construction and our development partner Countryside is committed to minimising disturbance. We will respond to the individual issues raised through the housing management service."