RESIDENTS fear a delayed 224-home development on the site of a former shopping centre “will never be finished”.
Construction was halted at the Laindon Centre redevelopment last year and residents say the building site has become an “eyesore” and “constant reminder” of Laindon’s lack of investment.
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Developer Swan Housing, who took over the scheme in 2015 following six failed attempted to regenerate the site over the last 25 years, and tore down the former shopping centre in 2019.
But work has ground to a halt with the firm insisting it needs time to “review” the designs before crews can return to the site.
“It’s an absolute tragedy that the Laindon Centre has been left to rot leaving residents with no clue of when that ugly eyesore will be completed,” Laindon resident Janice Watts, 64, said.
“The looming half finished buildings are a constant reminder that Laindon has been left in the past with little care for the people who live here.
“I wish they had just refurbished the shopping centre rather than tearing it down, but I guess they wanted to make money from the housing.”
Images from the site taken by Basildon-based photgrapher Roy Davis show little activity, with the buildings left in a half finished state and piles of rubble littering the ground.
Swan insists it remains committed to delivering the proposals which include 224 new homeless, a new Lidl supermarket, 16 shops, and a medical centre.
“Ever since they got ride of the shopping centre people living in Laindon have had to travel further afield to shop, especially the elderly residents,” resident Mark McGowan, 61, said.
“I have no idea why they had to pull the shopping centre down. Surely it could of been given a facelift and that way we wouldn;’t be in this mess.”
"At this point we have no faith it will ever be finished."
A Swan Housing spokesman said: “We understand that the delays on the Laindon regeneration scheme are disappointing for the community.
“The project has taken longer than expected but we can confirm we are progressing a detailed design review of the scheme and will update residents as soon as we can.”
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