‘Our lovely view will soon be of a block of flats’ say Woodberry Down neighbours
Residents of Bluebell Apartments Woodberry Down from left Harsiyanti Harsiyanti, Burhan Putra, Maria Procter, Renee Johnson, Eddie Mills and Mohammed Dildar - Credit: Archant
Tenants and homeowners on the Woodberry Down Estate are fuming after discovering another high-rise will be built 20 metres from their windows – blocking their picturesque view.
Residents of Bluebell Apartments Woodberry Down like Violet Laniyan (88) will no longer enjoy the view that they were promised when they moved in. - Credit: Archant
When people were moved from their homes into the new Bluebell Apartments block two years ago, they fell in love with the scenic view of the reservoir backed by the city skyline.
But now they’ve been told building work is set to start on another block – right in the way of that view.
The town hall and Genesis Housing Association, which owns the homes, insist they were open about the plans with prospective tenants and buyers, but a group of them are positive they had no idea.
“People were fuming,” said 43-year-old Eddie Mills, a social tenant of Genesis. “It’s going be a six-storey block right in front of us. We were promised this view. And people who have shared ownership are going to see the house values come crashing down.
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“It’s starting in the summer and is going to be going on for three years.
“At the end of it I’m going to have someone looking directly into my bedroom window.”
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He added: “And having it so close is not going to give me sufficient sunlight.
“I looked at five different flats when I had to move and the view is exactly why I chose this one.”
Mohammed Dildar lives in a house which will soon be in between the two blocks.
He said he only found out about the plans when Genesis held an open day, and blames the town hall for not telling him when he was placed there back in 2014.
Hackney Council, Genesis and developer Berkeley Homes said tenants had been given “extensive information” about the plans multiple times, and brochures clearly indicated the future development.
They said in a joint statement: “Plans for the regeneration, including this building, have been in the public domain for more than a decade and subject to extensive consultation across the estate – including hundreds of events, meetings and newsletters.
“The plans meet all daylight and sunlight requirements.”
