The new flats that have raised ethical questions

When Harmony Birch is asked about her old flat in a 1960s block near the centre of Cambridge she speaks fondly of the community there - but the block is one of two set to be demolished as part of a council estate's major redevelopment.

Harmony is questioning the "ethics" behind the move after it was revealed the 165 flats set to replace Hanover Court and Princess Court are unlikely to include affordable or council housing.

Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP), run by Cambridge City Council and developer the Hill Group, is carrying out the development and is applying for funding to build 72 council homes - but said there is no guarantee of success.

Harmony, who lived in Princess Court, said that news was "absolutely terrible", adding: "I have real questions about the ethics and the morality about the way this has been done, because there was never any question of there not being council houses there."

The decision is all down to the "viability" of the development. Through the Freedom of Information Act the BBC has obtained communications, including one which said CIP had drawn up an appraisal which "demonstrated that the proposed development is unviable" if 40% of the homes were affordable, as is normal policy.

Instead it said only two could be affordable, suggesting these could be built elsewhere.

But the next month council planners were told from a different viability review that the proposed development could provide 25% affordable housing.

The council will now apply for Homes England funding for the planned 72 council homes, but a planning officer made it clear there was no guarantee that funding would come.

Harmony said: "There's been no transparency and council money is now being used to make private housing at a time when we are desperately short of council housing in Cambridge."

She used to sit on the council's housing advisory board and said: "I don't think we'd have said yes to the development if it had been sold to us on the basis that there'd be no council housing.

"I think it says that money's more important than people. They may consider it non-viable, but actually council housing isn't about necessarily every development making money."

Developers have said that the 127 homes in the two blocks are in poor condition, are too small, and unable to meet fire safety standards.

Jade Gatt lived in Hanover Court for 13 years and felt the flats needed to be knocked down, noting she had issues with mould. She said she was told they would have first choice if they wanted to return to the new flats.

"I think the system's wrong and I think the fact that they're going to try and put in for 70-something [council] homes, but they haven't got the funding yet, is just the cover-up that maybe they're not going to," she said.

"I feel that they're trying to push people with social housing out of Cambridge."

The city council's cabinet meeting on 7 July heard there were 2,224 families on their housing waiting list.

One woman, who the BBC is not naming, said she came to Cambridge fleeing domestic violence and had been living in another council flat in the city before it too was set to be demolished.

She said her family eligibility meant there were so few properties available within Cambridgeshire that there were only six suitable for her to bid on in six months.

The council said it provides support to those who live in its homes earmarked for redevelopment, including being given priority choice on suitable, like-for-like council homes.

Peter Hulme, who lives near Hanover and Princess Court, said it was important there were affordable and council houses there.

He said: "I personally think that there should be affordable homes and council homes in each neighbourhood of the city.

"We shouldn't have segregation where we say some areas are for more affluent housing and other areas are for poorer housing."

Gerri Bird, the council's Labour cabinet member for housing, said extra funding is available to councils through Homes England which supports developers to build affordable or council homes beyond the minimum number that is deemed to be required by planning policy.

The organisation provides funding towards homes above the 40% minimum requirement - a requirement which can "vary depending on the 'viability' of each development".

She said: "This was the case at Hanover Court and Princess Court, where an independent viability assessment said that there should be zero requirement for affordable or council homes - and this was approved by the planning committee.

"For the council, this means we can now apply for funding from Homes England for most of the 72 council homes we intend to build, which would be 44% of the 165 new homes proposed.

"Without planning committee approving the plans with the requirement for zero council homes, we would only have been able to apply for Homes England funding for the 4% of council homes above the usual 40% minimum.

"This is a difference of around £8m and will enable us to build more council homes in our overall housebuilding programme in the coming years."

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