For decades, social and council housing estates across the UK have been severely neglected. The consequential deterioration of housing conditions is used to justify estate ‘regeneration’ programmes based on demolition and rebuilding, which most housing associations, local authorities and developers claim is the only way to provide new housing and improve living conditions.

However, demolition and rebuilding is socially, financially and environmentally costly, relying on the construction of high-value homes for private sale to pay for rebuilding demolished social homes. This results in the displacement of existing communities, the privatisation of public land and a failure to address the need for additional social housing.

‘Regeneration’ through demolition and rebuilding also has significant environmental costs including high levels of greenhouse gas emissions (‘embodied carbon’), loss of greenspace, and air, soil, water and noise pollution.