'Envied' estate now 'overrun with mice and mould'

Jackie Doolan said current residents were being ignored by the City because of its focus on new development

Residents of a north London estate say the building has fallen into disrepair because the council which manages it has been focusing on building more flats on another part of it.

Several people from the York Way Estate in Islington told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) issues ranged from damp and mould, to flats "overrun with mice" and that they have gone 18 months without recycling bins.

Jackie Doolan, 63, said the estate used to be "the envy of people" but "now we don’t even mention it".

A spokesperson for City of London Corporation said it was investing roughly £107m to improve properties across all 12 of its social housing estates.

The estate has recently been a hub of construction activity as 91 new homes are being added, which will be shared between City of London and Islington Council tenants.

Ms Doolan said she had lived on the estate most of her life but felt the current residents were being ignored by the City because of its focus on the new development.

She said issues included flats "overrun with mice", antisocial behaviour and a lack of maintenance in communal areas had led to exposed pipes and lights hanging down.

She added her daughter had experienced issues with damp and mould in her flat, which she claimed was the cause of her grandson going to hospital three times with bronchiolitis, a chest infection.

Ms Doolan said there was exposed pipework in many of the buildings' corridors

Max Fras, 42, has lived on the estate since 2011. He agreed that the buildings were in a poor state, with broken lifts and antisocial behaviour, and that the City's response was lacking when issues were raised.

“Everything is pretty aged, and the City of London don’t seem to care for whatever reason to fix things on time,” he said.

He added the estate’s main recycling bins were removed in January 2023 after being set alight, and although he repeatedly chased the City to provide replacements, this had not been done.

“It’s a huge environmental waste and I don’t understand why the City of London don’t prioritise this,” he added.

City of London Corporation said it was investing £107m into improving its 12 housing estates

Ms Doolan said her father was previously the local superintendent for 30 years and her children and grandchildren also lived in flats nearby, but impressions of the area had changed.

“At one time this estate was the envy of people because it was such a lovely estate,” she said.

“Now we don’t even mention it, because people just feel sorry for us.”

“They’re (the City) not thinking about us as tenants,” Ms Doolan said.

“Our flats are going into disrepair because they’re falling apart, but it feels to us they’re not concerned about that. It’s all centred on the new builds.”

'Investing to high standards'

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said if she had known about the issues on the estate, she would not have purchased her home.

Another who said they had experienced damp in their property said: “It’s sad. It does feel sad.”

A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “We are aware of the concerns raised by residents and recently met them to discuss how we take things forward.

“We are investing around £107m in a housing major works programme to bring all properties across our 12 social housing estates up to a high standard by 2026.

“This includes replacement windows, kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, and lift refurbishments.

"We are also rolling out fire safety improvement works and electric upgrades, replacing roofs and refurbishing communal areas.

"We will continue to work with residents and listen to their concerns.”