Strood: Kingswear Gardens residents are campaigning as they fear their homes will be destroyed as part of Strood Riverside Regeneration Project
Published: 00:01, 14 November 2018
A group have set up a campaign in fear that their homes will be destroyed despite their landlords and the council saying this will not happen.
Residents of Kingswear Gardens, Strood have the "We're not moving campaign" because they claim their landlords Moat and Orbit, would not confirm whether their homes would be knocked down as part of Strood Riverside Regeneration Project.
However landlord Orbit say they contacted residents in January to say the housing estate would not be impacted.
On Wednesday, October 31 the campaigners set up a meeting with Medway Trades Union Council.
They invited a campaign group called ‘Butterfields won’t budge’ who stopped a gentrification project in Walthamstow North London in 2016 to help their fight.
The campaigners also plan to set up a weekly stall in Kingswear Gardens to inform residents of the regeneration plans.
Medway Council have confirmed that Kingswear Gardens is not included in the Strood Riverside Regeneration Project but residents still believe their houses will be demolished.
Campaigner Matt Tidmarsh said: "If Orbit and Moat were not interested in doing a deal then why have they still not come out and said anything to both their residents and the public?
"What we think is happening is that Orbit and Moat are still working on a deal behind closed doors.
"Then they will tell residents when it is to late for them to do anything."
Local resident, Annette Stocker says: “I moved here 13 years ago and hoped it would be my forever home.
"I've put everything into my home garden.
"My life is here.
"It's near hospital, which I have to be because I have had a recent transplant.
" If anything goes wrong I have to attend immediately
"I'll chain myself outside No.10 if I have to."
More by this author
Rachel Dixon