Orchard Village, formerly known as the Mardyke Estate, is a housing development in the
South Hornchurch
South Hornchurch is a locality to the south of Hornchurch in London Borough of Havering, east London. It is a suburban development situated 13.6 miles (21.8 km) east of Charing Cross. The area is a relatively recent addition, compared with t ...
area of
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 ...
, England.
From 2009 to 2017 the site underwent regeneration as part of the
London Riverside
The London Riverside is a redevelopment area on the north side of the River Thames in East London, England and part of the larger Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The London Riverside area forms part of the Green Enterprise District, a project ...
part of the
Thames Gateway
Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...
. The estate was transferred from
Havering London Borough Council
Havering London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Havering is divided into 18 wards, each elec ...
to
Old Ford Housing Association in March 2008 and redevelopment work started in November 2009. Most of the existing housing, including a number of
high rise blocks and flats, were demolished.
History
Mardyke Estate
The original estate was built by
Wates Ltd for
Hornchurch Urban District Council
Hornchurch was a local government district in southwest Essex from 1926 to 1965, formed as an Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district for the civil parish of Hornchurch. It was greatly expanded in 1934 with the addition of Cran ...
on land that was previously the Mardyke Farm. The
Mardyke
The Mardyke ( ga, An Mhuirdíog) is an area in Cork city, on the northern half of the long western part of the island formed by the two channels of the River Lee near the city centre. It was historically left as open space because the land along ...
is a minor tributary of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in
Thurrock
Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The l ...
. The site was built in the 1960s, primarily for workers at the
Ford Dagenham
Ford Dagenham is a major automotive factory located in Dagenham, London, operated by the Ford of Britain subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. The plant opened in 1931 and has produced 10,980,368 cars and more than 39,000,000 engines in its histo ...
automobile construction plant which it borders. It was on the A1306 close to the A13. The estate is not served by any Tube lines, with
Dagenham Heathway being the nearest tube station, and
Dagenham Dock
Dagenham Dock is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England. It is located to the south of Dagenham and on the River Thames. It was once the site of a large coaling port and continues to be the location of a small t ...
being the nearest railway station. The 365 bus route had numerous stops within the estate.
The estate included a number of maisonettes, low-rise flats, and six high-rise buildings, each 38 m tall and consisting of 13 floors. They were named Chantry House, Dearsley House, Mardyke House, Perry House, Roman House and Templar House. There were 490 housing units for rent and 57 leasehold properties. The estate lacked private space and the juxtapositions of bedsits and maisonettes was not popular. Havering Council transferred the estate to
Old Ford Housing Association, which is part of the
Circle Anglia Group.
Orchard Village development
Orchard Village is a development that created 555 new homes, comprising 339 general needs, 64 shared ownership and 152 private sale properties. There are also local shops and a new primary care facility. The architect was PRP Architects.
The proposal was passed by Havering Council to the Mayor of London's Office on 26 January 2009. It was considered and not refused, but comments were made that it did not comply with the London plan. In particular: London Plan policies on housing, children’s playspace, urban design, access and equal opportunities, biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, transport and flood risk. The plan was revised, alterations made and resubmitted.
The scheme of works included improvement to an open space adjacent to the estate. It was financed with £31.2m of public money in the form of a grant from the
Homes and Communities Agency
Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
HCA in turn was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2 ...
and administered by the
Office of the Mayor Of London (GLA).
The scheme was built in three phases. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were mainly social housing, let to the displaced tenants from the original Mardyke Estate. The builder,
Willmott Dixon
Willmott Dixon is a privately owned contracting, residential development and property support business.
History
The company was founded in 1852, by John Willmott.[Wilkin & Sons
Wilkin & Sons Limited is a manufacturer of preserves, marmalades and associated products established in Tiptree, Essex, England in 1885, and known for its "Tiptree" brand of fruit preserves.
History
The Wilkin family came to Tiptree, Essex and s ...]
.
Construction issues
Since its construction, Orchard Village has been beset with problems of build quality and estate management which have been widely reported in the media, in particular by The Romford Recorder.
In late 2015 onwards, residents who purchased affordable homes from Circle Housing, as either freeholders or shared ownership leaseholders, complained of numerous build quality issues including continual leaks, thermal discomfort, electrical faults and high bills.
[ In early 2016 many residents discovered that homes were not insulated and began a process to complain to the authorities involved, Havering Building Control, Circle Housing, the HCA and Mayor of London's office. It was discovered that the ]Energy Performance Certificate
Energy performance certificates (EPCs) are a rating scheme to summarise the energy efficiency of buildings.
In the European Union, EPCs are regulated by the European Directive on the energy performance of buildings.
Turkey
EPCs are mandatory ...
s bore no relation to the energy bills from a "locked in" supplier. On average, home owners are experiencing 3-5 more in costs to the EPCs. Many of the residents are awaiting insulation to be installed into their homes.[ Gardens are not draining, killing the grass.
There has been back flowing of raw sewage into the shower trays and the kitchens. There is a stench from ]hydrogen sulphide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
and dangerously high levels of methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
, gases that cause migraine and respiratory diseases. It is proposed that these are leaking from the nearby landfill
A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
site.
Residents have been angered by the HCA and GLA's refusal to examine evidence of resident's exposure to Cat 1 Hazards such as mould and damp, leaving vulnerable individuals, such as disabled children, hospitalised. Circle's poor management has been exposed and widely reported in the press, with residents citing long delays in repairs.
Transport
The estate is served by the 365 bus. Bus blinds were altered from Mardyke Estate to Orchard Village in 2013. It is operated by Stagecoach East London.
Media
The former estate was the setting of the 2009 film ''Fish Tank
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
''. The domestic shots in the 2010 film ''Made in Dagenham
''Made in Dagenham'' is a 2010 British comedy-drama film directed by Nigel Cole and starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Daniel Mays and Richard Schiff. ...
'' were taken on the estate, and the demolition of the tower blocks was postponed to facilitate filming.
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*
*{{cite news, last1=Harris, first1=John, title=Leaking sewage and rotten floorboards: life on a ‘flagship’ housing estate, url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/06/life-flagship-housing-estate-orchard-village-east-london, work=The Guardian, date=6 February 2017
Investigations launched into safety of Orchard Village estate
External links
Orchard Village
Havering Council: Mardyke Estate redevelopment
Housing estates in London
Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Havering