Residents of a Grade II listed housing estate due to undergo restoration are disputing paying for a compulsory window replacement scheme costing about £26,000 per flat.
Council bosses backed plans to restore the art deco Ealing Village in North Ealing , built originally as home to the stars of Ealing Film Studios, at a planning meeting on January 14.
The majority of people living there support the £6 million five year plan needed to restore their building , despite costing them up to £35,000 per flat.
However the controversy arises from the board of directors choosing to impose the replacement of new windows with an additional cost of about £26,000 per flat which residents have to pay for, despite only 24 per cent having been assessed as needing replacing.
Jenny Carter of Ealing Village said: “Naturally residents are shocked at being forced to carry out unnecessary work on their own properties, especially when the majority had already agreed to pay up to approximately £35,000 per flat to carry out important and necessary renovations.
“Both pensioners who have lived there for decades and young families are in a particularly vulnerable position and are very anxious that they will be forced to sell their homes and move many miles away from the community that they know and love.
“The half of Ealing Village’s residents objecting to the demands are hoping the board of directors will act on an alternative proposal that would allow them to renovate their existing, historic windows at a much lower cost than replacement.”
Chair of the Ealing Village board of directors, Dan Johnson, said: “An independent survey revealed 24 percent of windows need immediate replacement, while a further 68 percent are predicted to last only a further five to seven years. Consequently, replacement of windows is recommended by independent professional experts as the most cost effective option in the medium run and also is absolutely essential to put the estate onto a sure footing.
“Taking the short term view got the estate into poor condition in the first place and also costs more but we have the confidence of the majority of leaseholders who back us in long term planning to secure Ealing Village’s future.
“We have phased payment over seven years, competitively tendered to get the best price and have held fund raising community workshops.”
Wider plans include new roofs, external re-decorations and the introduction of a double glazed replica of the original windows, and works should get underway later this year.
