'It's economic violence' Birmingham residents fight to save homes

When Laura Kudrna bought her home on the Ladywood estate in Birmingham, it brought to an end a 12-year period of renting in which she had moved 20 times.

- Jessica Murray

"I was so excited to be able to stay in a home that I thought I would have for life," she said.

But her new sense of security was shattered when she found out that her property was one of 1,900 dwellings listed for potential demolition in what is thought to be one of Europe's biggest single-site estate regenerations.

The scale of the proposed project is staggering: 6,000 people could have their homes torn down as part of a £2.2bn project in which 1,266 council houses and 567 properties belonging to private homeowners could be repossessed in a mass compulsory purchase order.

In their place, 7,500 homes will be built in a high-density housing plan on a 61-hectare (150-acre) site. About 1,000 of these will be designated as affordable, council-owned homes, according to a report presented to council's cabinet.

If the numbers involved seem imposing, the strength of feeling in opposition to the plan is more than a match. Residents said they were furious and accused the council of "psychological economic violence".

The battle lines have been drawn over familiar terrain. Birmingham council describes the initiative as the most significant redevelopment project in a generation, in a city where there is an urgent need to build more housing.