Information obtained during the public inquiry convened to hear the compulsory purchase order to evict remaining leaseholders, shows that both leaseholders and tenants have been displaced far and wide.
Only 45 Heygate tenants have actually been rehoused in new homes. We now also know that only around 1 in 5 Heygate secure tenants actually remain in the SE17 postcode (216 tenants out of 1034). This information comes from a response to an FOI request. The rest have been scattered to the outer corners of the borough and beyond:
We are still gathering information about leaseholders. What we know so far is that they have moved furthest of all residents, as the following illustration shows:
Around half have relocated to SE postcodes (including Woolwich, Thamesmead and Welling), most of the rest have had to move to suburbs such as Sidcup, St. Albans, Chelmsford, Croydon, Bexleyheath, Ilford, Romford, Dartford, Cheshunt, Mitcham and West Thurrock. The reason for this is clear: the very low levels of compensation leaseholders have received for their Heygate homes. This link has a full list of the amounts paid to Heygate leaseholders. It is compiled from information received through Freedom of Information requests, and includes an indexed column showing today's value of the settlements.
The average compensation paid for a 1 bed flat was £108,164. Owners of 2 bed flats received on average £122,140, 3 bed maisonettes £185,070 and 4 bed maisonettes £209,440. Some homeowners got particularly poor deals: one leaseholder received just £32,000 for a 1 bed flat in 2008.
Compare this to the cost of the new Heygate homes as advertised by Lend Lease, which start at around half a million for a 1-bed..