Bulldozers destroy the ‘bombardment’, while the neighbors moan that the job is not yet done

RESIDENTS living opposite a flattened estate have told how they looked out over a ‘war zone’ as they drank their morning coffee.

The sparse ruins of Maryon Grove Estate in Woolwich have cast an eerie shadow over the residents living next door.

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Behind a bright pink security fence, most of the estate has been razed, with piles of rubble becoming home to a number of stray cats.

But three corners of what was once a 172-home estate are still standing, albeit abandoned.

Residents living on Maryon Road told Sun Online they all have to work on it demolish the remaining buildings stopped in November and they don’t know why.

Lesley Lawrence, 64, described the adjacent land as a “war zone” as she criticized the council for appearing to have given up on the project.

She said: “It looks like a war zone. It’s not much of a view.”

She revealed that the estate “wasn’t very nice before” but said the now barren wasteland was even worse.

‘The estate wasn’t that nice before. The company demolishing it has now gone into administration and there isn’t much we can do about it. It’s not fun at all.

“We had children on the property. Now it is finally secured, but it is not fun at all when you go onto the balcony.”

The video shows an excavator tearing through the blocks of the doomed estate as dust billows into the air.

The deafening demolition noise that most bothers the neighbors is also clearly visible in the images.

Rosa, 45, who did not want to give her surname, revealed the site was the victim of arson and squatters before it was made safe.

She said: “I haven’t seen anyone there for two months. They started demolition in September, but it has been like this since November. They started and just left it. It doesn’t look nice.

“The buildings were ugly and there were many fires last summer. Homeless people lived there. It’s just not nice to look at them like that.”

John Phillips, 55, said the site now “looks terrible”.

He added: “They very slowly brought everyone out. People held out to get the better option they could move to.

“I knew a couple who lived there who had bought their apartment and were having trouble getting it appraised properly. It’s not a nice site.’

But not all residents were upset by the flattening of the buildings.

It’s like a war zone. The company that is demolishing it has now gone bankrupt and there is not much we can do about it

Maryon Grove resident Lesley Lawrence

Adeyemi Adenuga, 55, told how his views of London have been unparalleled since the building was demolished.

He lives on the ground floor of a four-storey apartment building and therefore cannot see the condition of the demolished site behind the fence.

But he has fantastic views of the London skyline and often stands outside his front door to watch the sunset.

He added: “I have lived here for over fifteen years. It’s so amazing to be able to see the views beyond the flats.

‘You can see so far. We watch the sunset. It’s beautiful. We’re watching the planes take off from City airport.’

He slammed the ‘terrible’ demolition site and the ‘ostentatious’ security fence.

‘TERRIBLE SOUND’

‘The demolition site is terrible. We block it and try to look further. You can’t put money on the views beyond.

“I don’t understand why some of it was left behind. The pink fencing is garish, but we’ve gotten used to it by now.”

During the demolition, the family had to deal with a ‘thick layer of dust’ that settled on their car and they were unable to open the windows.

He added: “The noise was terrible. My wife is a nurse and sleeps during the day.

‘She couldn’t sleep during construction. We are afraid that new homes will be built on the land.

“When the houses were empty, there were many fires. They had to seal it up. It used to be open.

“You want to wake up to something beautiful, if you look over this it’s a bad start to the day. I’m glad I’m downstairs and don’t have to look over the rubble every day.

“I feel sorry for people at higher levels.”

Therese Bush, 65, said she was glad the demolition had begun because the vacant flats were beginning to attract drug dealers and arsonists.

No matter what your home looks like, no one wants to live next to chaos

Therese Bush, resident of Maryon Grove

She said: “A year ago it was worse. It was open to everyone. They were just empty flats. There were drug dealers, fires, the fire brigade was called. So this is honestly an improvement.

‘The problem is that I don’t think you can blame anyone.

“Lovell hired someone to take it down and they went bankrupt.

“These were the last pieces that still had power, so they left them until the end. In the meantime, they went bankrupt.

“I don’t care about the horrible view as long as there is no anti-social behavior and it is quiet. It doesn’t matter what your house looks like, no one wants to live next to chaos.”

Greenwich Council took vacant possession of the estate in 2021.

There are plans to eventually build 165 homes on the site, including 60 council-owned properties.

COUNCIL WITHDRAWN

A spokesperson for Greenwich Council said: “The Maryon Grove Estate is part of the Council’s £557 million Woolwich Estates programme, in partnership with Lovell and PA Housing, to create 1,615 brand new homes – hundreds of which will be available are for affordable rent for people on the border. Municipality housing register.

“The demolition of the vacant blocks to make way for these new, high-quality homes started in September last year.

“The work was due to be completed by the end of 2023, but due to the contractor going bankrupt, the work had to be halted.

“A new contractor has now been appointed and the demolition work will be completed by mid-May.”

Sun Online has contacted Lovell’s contractors for comment.

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