Cameron pledges £140m to bulldoze sink esates

David Cameron has announced £140m in government funding for the regeneration of 100 of Britain’s worst sink estates. The prime minister wants to see the “brutal high-rise towers” and “dark alleyways” of many post-war housing estates demolished and rebuilt with better layouts or upgraded facilities and improved local road and transport links. He said: “Within these so-called sink estates, behind front doors, families build warm and welcoming homes. “But step outside in the worst estates and you’re confronted by concrete slabs dropped from on high, brutal high-rise towers and dark alleyways that are a gift to criminals and drug dealers.” An advisory panel has been appointed to decide which estates will be targeted, with those in high land-value areas to be prioritised. The Winstanley estate in Wandsworth, SW11, is understood to be one of the estates to receive funding for regeneration. Other estates on the list could include Broadwater Farm in Tottenham, N17, and the Lower Falinge estate in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The government funding will be used to speed up planning and provide temporary housing for tenants. Residents will be given “binding guarantees” so their right to their home is protected. New private homes on the estate, built at a higher density, will fund the regeneration. Some of the estates will be completely demolished and rebuilt, while others will have facilities upgraded. A Savills report, published today, will say that this kind of programme could catalyse the building of hundreds of thousands of new homes in London. louisa.clarence-smith@estatesgazette.com