Estate regeneration actually leading to ‘degeneration’ – London mayor warned

Zoe Garbett leading an estate regeneration meeting in City Hall, February 2026. Photograph: Heather Abdule/Green Party

Estate regeneration schemes across London are leading to worsening living conditions, mass displacement and a loss of social homes, the Mayor of London has been warned.

Green party Assembly Member Zoë Garbett has claimed in a new report that Londoners are still suffering from “the same failed model of estate regeneration” despite recent City Hall reforms aimed at boosting resident involvement.

From 2018, any landlord seeking to demolish social homes has needed to carry out a ballot of residents, while Mayoral guidance also suggests that there must be a net increase in affordable housing, as well as full rights to return or remain for social tenants.

However, Garbett, who is also a councillor for Dalston ward, said that the system “continues to sideline residents and prioritise high-end market housing over meeting local needs”, leading to “degeneration”.

An estimated 139 estates are currently slated for demolition and redevelopment, or are currently undergoing regeneration, in London, with 160 such estates – comprising 55,000 households – have been ‘regenerated’ since 1997.

In her report, entitled “Left to Rot”, the Hackney mayoral hopeful warned that the current system is failing social tenants, with research from the London Assembly housing committee in 2015 showing that 50 estates regenerated between 2004 and 2014 resulted in the net loss of around 8,300 social rent homes, despite the density of the sites doubling.

Classifications of affordable housing include shared ownership and intermediate rent schemes which do not alleviate housing waiting lists in the same way as social housing.

She warned that communities also suffer from a “democratic deficit”, with residents not having the time, resources or accessible information to engage in the flawed process.

Questioned about the report last week in City Hall, Sir Sadiq Khan said: “We’re the only place in the country that requires that, before a regeneration can take place, if people want funding from us, for there to be a ballot of people to make sure there’s an affirmative ballot before the regeneration can take place.

“What we also require in terms of planning if you’re going to demolish any affordable homes – which should be a last resort – they must be replaced with the same amount of affordable homes, if not more so. Planning and funding is something we do uniquely in London; other parts of the country don’t.

“The first thing I’ll do is read her report because it’s really important that we take on board concerns on a cross-party basis.

“The Better Homes for Local People guidance is quite clear in relation to demolition as a last resort and the rights of residents to refuse but I’m more than happy to receive her evidence about what’s happening in practice.”

Ms Garbett told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that she “welcomed his recognition of the issue”, but added: “I’m concerned that the policies he has implemented still aren’t protecting residents from some truly awful experiences.

“The report talks of people feeling they are left to rot, being left in limbo and degeneration. People also speak of the ‘joke of democracy’ as the processes aren’t fair or transparent.

“These are schemes funded by the Mayor of London, I really hope he reads the report, speaks to residents and takes urgent action.”

Recommendations in the report include reforming resident ballots to better hold landlords to account, creating a ‘Community Plan Fund’ to drive resident-led regeneration, and adding conditions for any Greater London Authority (GLA) funding to ensure investment partners do not displace residents.