The pile of papers next to Nina* slides from the sofa as she searches for a single page – a letter from Newham Council informing her of a life-altering vote. The ballot offers two options: ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the demolition of her home.
Should ‘yes’ win the day, 80% of her estate will go under the wrecking ball. Out of the rubble, the council promises, will bloom 600 to 700 properties and improved local shops and facilities. While half will be “genuinely affordable” homes, residents fear that only a few of them will be able to live there.
London’s newly minted Elizabeth Line has confirmed Custom House, where Nina lives, as a stretch of prime real estate in London’s East End, falling within an “arc of opportunity” for regeneration that sweeps across Stratford, Canning Town and the Royal Docks.
