Two south London estates have been saved from demolition after councillors formally dropped controversial redevelopment plans.

Lambeth Council has removed Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens from its estate regeneration programme following years of campaigning by residents.

The decision brings to an end more than a decade of uncertainty over the future of hundreds of homes.

Cllr Scott Ainslie, executive member for planning and development, said: “For too long, regeneration in Lambeth has meant years of uncertainty for the people it was meant to help.

“Residents have lived under the threat of demolition, unsure whether they could stay in the place they call home – well that ends now.”

A council report prepared by officers found redevelopment of both Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens to be financially unviable, as it required demolition and rebuilding

Meanwhile, the completed first phase of Knights Walk has reportedly left the second phase of the site inaccessible and unviable. The council says it will focus on delivering ‘genuinely affordable homes’ while respecting the borough’s architectural heritage by avoiding demolition of these sites.

Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens are two post-war developments that were designed by a team of Lambeth architects led by Ted Hollamby, who was renowned for creating modernist housing that improved everyday life for social housing residents.

But for over 12 years, residents say they have been in limbo and campaigned to stop the council from knocking down their estates and replacing their homes.

Many residents attended the meeting and some spoke movingly to councillor about the impact of the repreieve.

Anne Cooper, a Cressingham Gardens resident, said: “I really welcome this decision and I clearly don’t speak for myself in that, but I also wanted to say a huge thank you to the Green Party members,

“Cllr Jonathan Bartley, Cllr Elliott and Cllr Ainslie, who have not only come to this meeting tonight, but have actually campaigned beside us for over a decade. That has made such a difference.

“I do think, however, we are living with the legacy of that disastrous decision back in 2014, and we’ve heard from both Cabinet members and residents about the misery that has caused.”

A 2022 review by Sir Bob Kerslake, former head of the civil service, found feedback from residents on the estates was “uniformly negative”, with levels of trust in the council “exceptionally low” due to poor communication and inconsistent policy.

The council had been previously taking forward the estate renewal programme through its housing company Homes for Lambeth, however the 2022 review recommended closing down the company and the programme was subsequently brought back in-house by the council.

He said: “Our task now as an administration is simple; protect the homes people have, improve the homes they live in, and build the homes our communities urgently need.”