Hanging On To Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
Yacob owns his home on an estate, but the council wants to knock it down and build a new development. Now they’re the last family left in the block, fighting to save their home.
Along with his wife and two daughters, Yacob Woldehiwot lives in what he describes as his dream home - a fourth-floor flat in West London. It’s a spacious one-bedroom property with panoramic views of London’s skyline, great transport links and a tightly knit, long-standing community.
Yacob says he saved every penny to buy his property on the South Acton estate nearly two decades ago, intending it to be his home for life and an inheritance for his kids. But now Ealing council wants to demolish it to make way for a £600m regeneration programme. The other blocks in the estate are already being bulldozed, and Yacob’s family are the only people left living in this once-busy community.
The council are offering to buy his home, but Yacob claims their offer is below the market rate. He says that since the demolition work started, the council have neglected his block. Over 100 other council estates in the capital are earmarked for demolition, or are already being demolished.
Despite the cranes and wrecking balls looming on their doorstep, the Woldehiwots say they are determined to fight and are staying put.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Executive Producer | Nisha Lilia Diu |
| Executive Producer | Sarah Trigg |
| Commissioning Editor | Aisling O'Connor |
| Director | Zack Adesina |
Broadcast
- Mon 7 Mar 2022 20:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One London, South East, London HD, Oxfordshire, South & 3 more only