Near-vacant estate in 'Lord of the Flies scenario'
BBCA near-vacant housing estate that is due for redevelopment has turned into a "Lord of the Flies-type scenario" because of anti-social behaviour, a resident has said.
The majority of properties on Ekin Road in Cambridge are to be knocked down and replaced, with many currently boarded up.
Maurice Chiodo, whose home is one of 14 not among those being demolished, said people had been breaking into vacant flats and "smashing up outhouses" using golf clubs.
Cambridgeshire Police said it was "aware of the issues" and was "working with partners and councils to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area". The city council said it had increased patrolling to five times per day.
The council had originally planned to demolish all 122 homes on the estate, off Newmarket Road near Cambridge City Cemetery, which date from the 1950s and 1960s.
In a planning application from January, it said the project would deliver 78 allocated council houses and 56 private homes, with a mix of one to five-bedroom homes.
Chiodo alluded to William Golding's novel about marooned children turning to savagery, recently dramatised by the BBC, and said the poor behaviour began in February.
"We're talking in excess of 20 youths at a time coming on, bringing weapons such as golf clubs, which we have footage of, to smash up whatever they could find basically, turning the street into a Lord of the Flies-type scenario."
He said people were "just sort of marauding around with impunity [with] nothing and no-one to stop them".
Chiodo said the remaining residents had spoken to the council "many, many times" since mid-February but "their response has been pretty mediocre".
"They're claiming that they've secured the street sufficiently. Obviously they haven't because these break-ins... keep occurring.
"The police are resource-constrained, so they can't always come every time."
He said the remaining residents had asked the council to put in a permanent "uniform presence on the street".
"This is a £100m project and they're not willing to spend the money to secure the estate in the time between now and when development starts," said Chiodo.
A city council spokesperspon said: "Residents who needed to move out to enable the redevelopment have been supported to relocate sooner rather than later, so that they haven't had to live in limbo waiting for the redevelopment to start.
"The downside of this is for those who will remain living on Ekin Road, and who are facing the problems often seen on sites with multiple vacant homes. We recognise this is a frustrating and sometimes frightening experience and we are committed to reviewing our security measures as required during this phase."
The council said it had put in security patrols, alarm systems and motion sensors in vacant block, and steel hoardings on windows and doors.
It added: "In light of recent incidents, we have increased patrolling to five times per day, targeting times of the day where incidents of anti-social behaviour has been reported by residents; are installing additional alarms and additional hoarding; and have installed a re-deployable CCTV camera on site."
A police spokesperson said: "Local sergeants and officers are regularly patrolling the area to ensure the addresses are secure.
"All empty properties have been boarded up and security teams carry out regular visits to prevent further damage."
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