End of an era as final Y-block is demolished
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Maidstone Housing Trusts £23m regeneration scheme in Park Wood, Maidstone, reaches an historic mark on Thursday 20 September when the remaining ‘Y-block’ will be demolished.
Bombay House is the last of nine blocks in Bell Road to be demolished to be replaced with 164 high quality new houses and apartments. The regeneration project started in February 2006, and the first families moved into their new homes in October 2006. So far 82 new homes have been handed over to the Trust, including some specifically for disabled people with full wheelchair accessibility.
Peter Stringer, Chief Executive of Maidstone Housing Trust, said “The demolition of this final block is a visual sign that Park Wood is changing. We are creating high quality homes for families, and investing in the community. This regeneration project is an element of wider long term improvements which benefit thousands of local people and we are proud to be playing our part”.
Lou Appleby, resident of one of the new homes, said ”I am delighted with my new home. It is warm and comfortable and there is plenty of space to bring up my children in decent surroundings. Park Wood has a lot going for it and some of the recent press coverage has overstated problems, which is very unfair to the decent people who live here”
The ‘Y-blocks’ are named after their shape when viewed from above. The blocks of flats were built in the early 1960s. When Maidstone Housing Trust took over the housing stock of Maidstone Borough Council in 2004 a key promise to customers was the regeneration of the Park Wood and Coombe Road areas.
date published: 20/09/2007