The Ferrier Estate was a large
housing estate
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States a ...
located in
Kidbrooke
Kidbrooke is an area of South East London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich south-east of Charing Cross and north west of Eltham.
The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisham, ...
,
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
,
south
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Built as social housing between 1968 and 1972, it was demolished as part of the Kidbrooke Vision scheme between 2009 and 2012 and replaced with housing and retail space known as Kidbrooke Village.
The estate was located to the south of
Kidbrooke railway station
Kidbrooke railway station serves Kidbrooke in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London. It is measured from .
The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern.
Location
The station is on the Bexleyheath line, an ...
and the
A2 Rochester Way and to the north of the
A20, to the east of
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to:
Places England
*Blackheath, London, England
** Blackheath railway station
**Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England
*Blackheath, Surrey, England
** Hundred of Blackh ...
and to the west of the border of
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...
.
History
The estate was constructed by the Greater London Council between 1968 and 1972 to the east of Blackheath on
brownfield land
In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...
from the former
RAF Kidbrooke
RAF Kidbrooke was a Royal Air Force base, situated in Kidbrooke in south-east London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The site was operational from 1917 to 1965 and was mainly used as a stores, maintenance and training facility.
History
Esta ...
base.
It was built on two sites. Site A was approved in 1967 with construction of five 12-storey towers (Clegg, Crozier, Goldmark, Leclair and Sala Houses) commencing one year later. Site B was approved in 1970 with construction of six 12-storey towers (Felton, Ronald, Stainer, Standish, Sterling and Wixom Houses) commencing the same year.
A typical example of system built
social housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1970s, the Ferrier Estate was built using a system of precast concrete panels that were usually manufactured on site. It was a method similar to that used in the construction of the Thamesmead estate enabling residential buildings to be erected quickly.
Social issues
Security keypads routinely went unrepaired and in 1999 a property-marking initiative was started at the Ferrier Estate by the British Security Industry and
Prince Michael of Kent
Prince Michael of Kent, (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family, who is 51st in the line of succession to the British throne as of September 2022. Queen Elizabeth II and Michael were first ...
due to the notoriety of the estate as a burglary blackspot. This was a small help to the majority law-abiding residents.
The Ferrier Estate was multi-ethnic, with a concentrated population of refugee families whereas the rest of the south of the borough of Greenwich remained mainly white British. Allocations decisions made by the London County Council and Greenwich Council as well as the Government Care in the Community Policy resulted in troubled and vulnerable tenants being housed on the estate with inadequate support.
There was press speculation about a terror cell and terrorist training facility located on the Ferrier Estate following the arrest of the "Shoe Bomber"
Richard Reid
Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the "Shoe Bomber", is the perpetrator of the failed shoe bombing attempt on a transatlantic flight in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young ...
in 2001. Reid's origins were traced back to the Ferrier Estate; he attended the nearby
Thomas Tallis School
Thomas Tallis School is a large mixed comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–19, located in Kidbrooke in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England. It opened in 1971, and was named after the composer Thomas Tallis, who lived in Greenwich ...
.
Regeneration
From 2009 onwards, the Ferrier Estate began to be demolished as part of a regeneration scheme, becoming
. The Village is built by
Berkeley Homes
The Berkeley Group Holdings plc is a British property developer and house-builder based in Cobham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The company was founded by Tony Pidg ...
and when complete will comprise 4,398 new homes, 300,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space, a 100-acre park, a school, a transport interchange and a village centre.
Timeline of developments
1999 – 2003 Detailed work was carried out by
Greenwich Council to assess the future of the Ferrier Estate and full-scale
regeneration
Regeneration may refer to:
Science and technology
* Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs
* Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis
...
was concluded as the best option.
July 2004 The Kidbrooke Vision scheme was given approval by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
.
Ferrier residents were given to believe that the scheme would be a rolling programme of redevelopment, and gave their approval. They were even encouraged to have input into the designs of the new homes. However, it became apparent soon after the first residents were removed that this was a fiction. As pressure mounted to reach deadlines, phased relocations were abandoned and residents all over the estate were moved as alternative properties became available. The result was pockets of isolation and fire escape routes through neighbouring flats being sealed off with steel doors. Vermin abounded as pigeons, rats and mice took up residence in neighbouring vacated homes. Eventually the Council, with the housing waiting lists doubling, resorted to court action to attempt to force residents to accept homes they regarded as unacceptable. The last tenants left in 2011, and it is estimated that about only 25% have the opportunity of returning to the new homes.
January 2006
Berkeley Homes
The Berkeley Group Holdings plc is a British property developer and house-builder based in Cobham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The company was founded by Tony Pidg ...
and
Southern Housing
Southern Housing Group is an among the largest and oldest housing associations in the UK, managing 30,000 homes for over 77,000 residents in London and the south east of England.
History
Southern Housing Group began as the Samuel Lewis Housing Tr ...
were chosen as developers for the Kidbrooke Vision scheme.
November 2007
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands is a practice of architects, urban designers and masterplanners established in 1986 and practising out of London.
History
Alex Lifschutz and Ian Davidson met working on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters ...
were selected by Berkeley homes as architects to design the regeneration masterplan.
March 2009 Demolition began on the Ferrier Estate.
April 2009
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands is a practice of architects, urban designers and masterplanners established in 1986 and practising out of London.
History
Alex Lifschutz and Ian Davidson met working on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters ...
were appointed as architects of Kidbrooke Village by Greenwich Council.
June 2009 Final planning permission for Kidbrooke Village was granted by the
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...
.
September 2009 A
ground-breaking ceremony for Phase 1 of Kidbrooke Village took place, heralding the start of construction.
January 2010 Demolition began on the Ferrier Estate. A notice was served stating that demolition would be finished by 25 January 2012, a reasonable period within which to carry out the proposed demolition.
March 2010
Planning permission for Phase 2 of Kidbrooke Village, Blackheath Quarter, was approved by Greenwich Council.
August 2011
Much of the Ferrier Estate had been demolished, particularly to the west of Kidbrooke Park Road, although some residents still awaited rehousing. Apartments and houses in the first phase of Kidbrooke Village, City Point, were occupied. The first phase was built on the former Harrow Meadow football ground located in the southeast of the development area.
2012
Demolition of the Ferrier Estate was completed enabling construction of the next phase of Kidbrooke Village.
Transport
Buses
The estate was served by
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...
routes
178
Year 178 ( CLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 931 ''Ab urbe cond ...
and
B16. Routes
132,
286 and
386
__NOTOC__
Year 386 ( CCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Honorius and Euodius (or, less frequently, year 113 ...
ran nearby.
National Rail
The nearest station was
Kidbrooke
Kidbrooke is an area of South East London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich south-east of Charing Cross and north west of Eltham.
The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisham, ...
for
Southeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
services towards
Barnehurst
Barnehurst is a town and electoral ward in South East London within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north east of Bexleyheath, and 13.0 miles (20 km) east south-east of Charing Cross. It is separated from North Bexleyheath by the A220 ...
,
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
,
London Charing Cross and
London Victoria
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named after the nearby Victoria Street (not the Q ...
.
See also
*
Aylesbury Estate
The Aylesbury Estate is a large housing estate located in Walworth, South East London.
The Aylesbury Estate contains 2,704 dwellings, spread over a number of different blocks and buildings, and was built between 1963 and 1977. There are approxi ...
*
Heygate Estate
The Heygate Estate was a large housing estate in Walworth, Southwark, South London comprising 1,214 homes. The estate was demolished between 2011 and 2014 as part of the urban regeneration of the Elephant & Castle area. Home to more than 3,000 ...
References
{{Public housing in the United Kingdom
Housing estates in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Demolished buildings and structures in London
Buildings and structures demolished in 2010