Mardyke meets its maker; £80 million regeneration paves the way for Orchard Village

It was the beginning of the end of Havering's Mardyke estate this month as demolition began on the first 12 storey tower block and the estate's new name was launched by Old Ford Housing Association, part of Circle Anglia - one of the UK's leading providers of affordable housing.

Orchard Village is the new name chosen by residents, who have worked closely with Old Ford Housing Association and were keen to bring about a fresh start to the community.  It reflects the area to the north of the estate, which used to be an orchard that provided fruit for the Tiptree jam company.

Today's event at the Mardyke Community Centre marked the beginning of phase one of a six year regeneration programme over four phases that will see all existing properties demolished and replaced with modern low-rise blocks.

Circle Anglia plans to build up to 555 new homes of mixed tenures including intermediate rent, shared ownership and private sale properties. Phase One will deliver 121 new homes to existing tenants, and residents will be able to move into their new, bigger homes from end 2010 to mid 2011.

David Williams, Executive Director of Strategy and New Business at Circle Anglia, said: "Today is a special day for the residents of Mardyke, who are at the heart of this exciting and ambitious regeneration programme. We see the renaming of the estate to Orchard Village as the start of a new beginning for the area. We want to create a place that people choose to live in, rather than leave behind, and we are working with our tenants to develop a long-term sustainable community that enhances the life chances of residents."

Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Michael Armstrong said:  "Today marks the start of a new chapter in the history of Rainham. Like similar estates throughout the capital the Mardyke had suffered a range of problems over the decades and became a place synonymous with anti-social behaviour.   
 
"The planned developments on the site will present a new future of opportunity for residents and is a key part of Havering Council's Rainham Compass strategy which aims to improve the area by building on its existing strengths and offering opportunities to local people in business, housing, employment and lifestyle.  

Mick Fury, one of the longest standing residents at Mardyke, said: "Today is a very exciting day. When I moved to Mardyke it had quite a bad name and it wasn't such a great place to live. Since Old Ford took over, the whole place has started to become a community again; the tough action on anti-social behaviour means that we have our homes and lives back and the renovations have already made a huge difference to people living here. The regeneration plans will make things even better and soon people will be queuing up to live on Mardyke." 

The old 1960's estate was originally built to house workers at the old Ford Motor Company factory in Dagenham.  However, when the factory laid off workers, the estate slowly became dilapidated and had a notorious reputation for its crime levels and became known as one of the most disadvantaged estates in Greater London. Circle Anglia took over the estate in March 2008, after residents voted for a stock transfer from the London Borough of Havering.

Since the transfer the fortunes of the estate have already changed; extensive works have been carried out to existing properties, and the estate has been cleaned up. The community joined together to address anti-social behaviour and laid the foundation for building a new community that has a sense of pride and enhances the life chances of residents.  Now the regeneration is really gaining momentum with the demolition of the first of the tower blocks and along with it the last signs of decades of deprivation.

You can view an online video of the first stages of the Mardyke demolition, together with comments from some of the key figures in the scheme, by clicking on the image above.