The ‘regeneration’ of Basildon town centre has been under discussion for a number of years now accompanied by the occasional ‘consultation’ exercise. From anecdotal evidence we’ve heard, these ‘consultation’ exercises seem to avoid any meaningful engagement with the residents of Brooke House, the unmissable block shown above that’s located slap bang in the middle of Basildon town centre.

Brooke House is a Grade II listed building and has been described by Basildon Council in their bullshit ‘regeneration’ propaganda as a ‘heritage asset’. You can see this description for yourself if you visit the premises near the Entertainer toy shop taken over by the council to display their plans for the town centre.

Let’s get one thing straight, Brooke House is more than a Grade II listed building or a ‘heritage asset’ – it’s where people live. Given the deteriorating conditions inside the block, it would appear that this is something Basildon Council can’t really grasp: The state (and future) of Brooke House – https://southessexstirrer.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/the-state-and-future-of-brooke-house/

Over the weekend of the 20th and 21st January, the lift serving the even floors was only working intermittently before packing up completely. The lift to the odd floors was working but very slowly and in almost complete darkness. Residents frequently had no option but to use the stairwells. Stairwells that as a result of the wet weather over the weekend and leaking windows were soaking wet, slippery and dangerous to use.

So, in the 21st century in a supposedly advanced country, we have a residential tower block in the middle of a town centre with malfunctioning / broken lifts and a soaking wet stairwell that has rightly been described as a death trap because the windows aren’t getting fixed. All of which gives the impression that the policy of Basildon Council regarding Brooke House is one of managed decline that will force tenants and residents to seek alternative accommodation. The idea being is that once the block is empty, the council can offload it to a developer and trouser the cash.

Basildon Council now have a fight on their hands with the newly formed and vocal Brooke House Residents Basildon group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587080528053394/ and a proactive local councillor willing to hassle the council until they start to take a genuine interest in the people living in the block. As with our previous post about Havering Council’s estate ‘regeneration’ plans, local authorities need a sharp reminder that when they talk about this, it’s not just buildings, it’s peoples’ lives they’re playing with…