Estate to be balloted over £100m regeneration plan

Previous regeneration plans for Alton Estate were scrapped over the quantity of affordable housing

The fate of a south-west London estate that was "left to rot" is due to be decided in the autumn.

Wandsworth Council will ballot residents on new regeneration proposals for the Alton Estate in Roehampton after the Labour administration scrapped the original masterplan because of the number of affordable homes.

The council has published a revised masterplan for the estate which proposes almost 100 more affordable homes than before, improved community facilities and a replacement shopping parade.

Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem, cabinet member for housing, said the revised masterplan would be "one of the most ambitious renewal programmes in London".

Dikerdem said: "Roehampton has got large social deprivation. It's an area where the council needs to invest in order to make sure that life chances in Wandsworth are fair, and so it's really, really important that alongside the housing offer we also have a really good community offer."

Under the new masterplan, 167 homes on the estate would be replaced with 614 new homes, with 57% affordable housing.

There would be a net increase in social housing, although the exact figure has not been confirmed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The net regeneration cost is anticipated to be about £100m

The council's previous Conservative administration planned to demolish 288 homes on the estate and replace them with 1,108 new homes – including 261 affordable homes.

A new community hub with a library, a family hub with a GP surgery, a bigger supermarket, community square and council offices have been proposed under the new masterplan.

A recent viability study commissioned by the council reported that a suitable regeneration scheme could be delivered at a net cost of about £100m.

Lib Dem Kieren McCarthy, who stood for Putney in last year's general election, said residents had been "treated appallingly for 20 years".

"It's been left to rot and it's an embarrassment," he said of the estate.

A previous council report said Alton Estate had areas among the 20% most deprived in England, according to research in 2018, and among the 10% most deprived in respect of income and housing.

If most residents vote in favour of the scheme following a ballot in September, the council aims to submit a planning application in June 2026.