Troubled Vange housing estate compared to third world (From Southend Standard)
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Troubled Vange housing estate compared to third world
7:30am Friday 4th January 2013 in Echo News By Chloe Chapman
Ralph Lowe, 46, has compared the 3/4 estate in Vange to the third world due its "pepper-potting" appearance
A TROUBLED housing estate has been compared to the third world after a regeneration project left it “pepper potted”.
The 3/4 estate in Vange is now a mixture of new, repaired and ageing properties despite a major regeneration project hoping to revamp the estate and tackle rising crime and antisocial behaviour.
South Anglia Housing, which owns more than half of the properties, built 120 new homes and carried out renovation work on the original flat-roofed houses from 2006 until 2010.
However, privately-owned properties were untouched with owners unable to pay the additional £8,000 fee to the housing association to get their flat roofs over-pitched.
Ralph Lowe, 46, bought his home in Polsteads in 1999 after hearing about the promising plans, but now says the estate has been left in a state.
He said: “I used to live in Laindon but I decided to move to Vange because of the works being done. I thought it would look wonderful but the reality is that the housing association were allowed to pepper-pot the whole estate.
“Within the last few years there has been new houses put up right in the middle of the estate rather than on the outskirts like they do everywhere else. All the older properties have just been left and no one seems to care.
“There are always campaigns to send money abroad but we have enough of our own problems here. It looks like a third world country on this estate. We have plenty of developers wanting to build on greenbelt land but why don’t they just re-develop this estate?”
Daniel Munyambu, independent councillor for Vange, has echoed concerns for the 3/4 estate.
He said: “The appearance of the estate and the rest of Vange in general is a problem and something which is of great concern to me. The current policies are clearly not working and not looking after the well-being of our residents. We need the council to bring in new policies which refer directly to the issues so that improvements can be made. On the 3/4 estate that might mean refurbishing the older properties which have been left.
“Billericay and Wickford seem to have had all this money ploughed into them and Vange has been left. People seem happy to let some residents live in depravation. I can understand why they feel like Vange has been forgotten about.”
Mark Grimwood, Head of Neighbourhood at South Anglia , said: “We’re committed to providing good quality housing to our residents on the Vange 3/4 estate and have invested millions in improving the estate and our residents’ homes over the years. This has made a massive difference to our residents and the wider community."
Comments(16)
fireblade96
says...
8:28am Fri 4 Jan 13
asbo industries inc
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9:04am Fri 4 Jan 13
Shoebury_Cyclist
says...
9:30am Fri 4 Jan 13
http://llco.org/wp-c
ontent/uploads/2011/
06/african-slum1.jpg
Compare that to the picture with the story.
Carnabackable
says...
9:52am Fri 4 Jan 13
SpiffSpaffington1984
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2:23pm Fri 4 Jan 13
black jack ketchum
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2:49pm Fri 4 Jan 13
SpiffSpaffington1984
says...
3:10pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Icantthinkofausername01
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3:35pm Fri 4 Jan 13
black jack ketchum wrote:He has never been unemployed.
Think yourself lucky you live in Vange & not the third world, if you don't like living there then get a job or two & buy somewhere instead of sitting there expecting everyone else to pay for you, it makes me sick to keep reading stories in the echo & elsewhere of people constantly whinging about what the council/housing etc hasn't given them
Icantthinkofausername01
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3:37pm Fri 4 Jan 13
fireblade96 wrote:No.
Sounds to me like he thought he would get the work done for nothing and it backed fired on him pay up and look your scam didnt work
Icantthinkofausername01
says...
3:38pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Carnabackable wrote:Have you not been to Vange?
Third world ? wheres all the corrugated tin shacks? the squalor the mounds of rubbish? - GET REAL
Icantthinkofausername01
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3:41pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Coops69 wrote:Everyone in Vange drinks, smokes and watches Sky? What an intelligent and informative opinion you've strung together, please run for my local council.
Aren't home owners suppose to maintain their own homes ? Perhaps the people living in this estate should start taking more pride in their area rather than just worrying about getting their fags, alcohol and sky TV
Eric Whim
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4:04pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Icantthinkofausernamthe only thing missing in Vange from that list is the corrugated iron shacks
e01 wrote:
Carnabackable wrote:Have you not been to Vange?
Third world ? wheres all the corrugated tin shacks? the squalor the mounds of rubbish? - GET REAL
Audioman
says...
4:06pm Fri 4 Jan 13
MOVE AWAY FROM THERE,plenty
of other houses in Basidon and cheap too !!
Alan Jacobs
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8:00am Sat 5 Jan 13
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Alan Jacobs
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8:06am Sat 5 Jan 13
Where exactly? All I see is Baz Council using the housing stock of Billericay as a cash cow to feed all the ner do wells and scroungers down the hill in Basildump...........
..
Coops69 says...
7:43am Fri 4 Jan 13