Introduction

Demolition of homes, or at least early demolition of homes, represents a clear policy, economic and environmental failure; it has come to provide a visual symbol of purported failures across the tenure (see Chapter 2). Survival over an extended period appears to be a necessary, if not sufficient, element of success. This has been reflected throughout the book in the design of the codes used to refer to the 20 estates, from E1 to E20. The numbers refer to the proportion of potential ‘home years’ provided over each estate lifetime to date (see Chapters 1 and 5). When demolition occurs, potential home years are lost. The proportions of potential home years provided to date range from 100% at E1–E7, to 47% at E20. This chapter explores the extent of demolition and survival, the rationales for decisions in individual estates, the ages homes reached, the homes and home-years provided and lost, and how estate demolition and survival compared to rates for other homes and buildings (Chapter 3).

Demolition and survival

Estates’ local authorities all had experience of demolishing 19thcentury ‘slum’ homes formerly owned by private landlords. However, by the 1970s, local authorities and urban researchers were forced to acknowledge: ‘We are presently facing a new phenomenon on the British urban scene – public housing only a decade or so old is being vacated and demolished’ (Taylor 1979:1305). Thirteen of the 20 estates were affected to varying extents. The demolition decision-making process was always drawn out, often incremental, and influenced by changing assumptions and contexts.

Small-scale demolition

Six of the estates experienced some relatively minor demolition by 2019, involving fewer than 30 per cent of the original number of homes (Figure 13.2). This demolition was often precipitated by ‘exceptional’ repairs costs or ‘exceptional’ low demand for particular spots or types of homes. For example, at E12 (1947/1,000/h/NE), a few bungalows designed for older residents were demolished in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when it became difficult to find tenants. In estates made up of houses, demolition can proceed house by house, while in estates made up only of blocks of flats it is very difficult to remove less than a whole block.