A housing association is asking the planning inspector to overturn a ban on its plans to demolish the majority of a historic Chelsea housing estate and replace it with a mix of rented and private homes.

Clarion Housing Group’s plans for the Sutton Estate off Cale Street were turned down by Kensington and Chelsea Council in 2016.

Campaigners fighting to save the estate include actress Felicity Kendal and Labour campaigner and comedian Eddie Izzard.

The appeal starts on Wednesday (May 9) in the council chamber at Kensington town hall. Planning inspector Philip Ware will hear evidence for seven days.

The estate was funded by Victorian businessman William Sutton who made his fortune from a door to door postal service.

He left his fortune to provide homes for people on low incomes.

Eddie Izzard on a 2014 visit to the Sutton Estate to support the residents fighting redevelopment of their homes. He is pictured with (from left) Andrew Barshall and the estate's residents' association chairman Ian Henderson.

The housing association said its plans “are designed to secure the future of social housing in the heart of Chelsea and provide our residents with good quality new homes with a private balcony or terrace, secure communal gardens, paved and well lit walkways and a purpose built community centre.”

It said it wanted to replace “outdated and difficult to maintain accommodation with poor amenities that fall below modern day standards and expectations.”

The plans include 270 homes for rent. The housing association said it will plough the proceeds from selling a further 96 homes into the regeneration.

It said refurbishment was “not a practical nor realistic alternative” and would involve a loss of social housing.

Sutton Estate in Chelsea

The estate’s 200 households would stay on the estate and move straight into their new homes, said the Clarion Group.

They would “retain their security of tenure and continue to pay social rents”.

It said the extra 65 homes earmarked for social rent would be offered to Kensington and Chelsea council for people on the housing waiting list.

Residents have staged a long battle against the plans.

The Save the Sutton Estate campaign said the estate should be preserved.

Former resident Ian Henderson, who is also a Labour councillor for Colville ward said: “We don’t want to see it knocked down.”

He said he was concerned homes would be bought by overseas investors and “will remain empty. We don’t want to see Chelsea turning into a ghost town.”

The council’s deputy leader Kim Taylor-Swift and ward councillor for the estate said he was concerned about the potential loss of homes.