The Meadow Grange development in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was due to be the site of 131 new homes – but now dozens of shells of half-built homes have been razed to the ground
A “ghost city” of half-built flat pack homes has been completely demolished after standing unfinished for more than a year.
The Meadow Grange development in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was due to be the site of 131 new homes. Dozens of empty shells of half-built houses, constructed by developer Guinness Homes, have now been completely razed to the ground.
Frustrated residents had repeatedly branded it an “eyesore” after the properties were left partially-built when specialist contractor Ilke Homes was placed in administration. It was also found that the homes that had already been partially built failed to meet health and safety standards.
The developer has been unable to say when work will commence on the site to rebuild on the land. Urban explorer Martin Halliday, who visited the site, said: “The land just looks ragged now – a mix of semi-abandoned building materials and wasteland.
“I hear there are plans for more new-builds to take the place of the ones recently demolished, maybe the new new-builds will actually conform to health and safety standards. The main thing that looks bad is the blue boards that surround the site, just like the ones that are around where the new Southend United football stadium was supposed to be, a little further down the road.
“It just looks deserted, I am sure both plots of land will get used for housing at some point in the future. That seems to be the main focus at the moment, to build as many new houses and flats as possible.”
Meadow Grange was described by Guinness Homes as a “new and exciting pocket of its own nestled between coast, city and countryside”. The abandoned houses are a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced homes with either two, three or four bedrooms.
Flat pack homes are manufactured off-site in sections and then are shipped and assembled easily where the houses are going to be. It is not known how much the houses on Meadow Grange estate were going to sell for but they are part of the government’s shared ownership scheme.
A local estate agent said they would estimate the two-bedroom flat pack builds would sell for around £350,000. The Mirror has contacted Guinness Homes for comment.
