Vandals are targeting empty homes on the Ekin Road estate in Cambridge, leaving the handful of remaining residents living in fear as a long-promised redevelopment remains stalled.
Rows of boarded-up properties now dominate the estate, which originally housed 122 families. Just 14 of those homes were saved from demolition following a residents’ campaign spearheaded by Dr. Maurice Chiodo. The other 108 are due to be knocked down and replaced, but the slow pace of the planning process has left large swathes of the estate vacant for months, creating what those who remain describe as a ghost town.
Residents describe fear and chaos
Dr. Chiodo, who also works as an assistant research professor at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, said the problems escalated sharply earlier this year as more households moved out. “These are very large groups, sometimes up to twenty, coming in with golf clubs and targeting everything they can find, pulverising it to dust,” he told the newsroom. He noted that youths, some still in school uniforms, have been arriving on Thursday and Friday afternoons since February, using discarded bins as makeshift climbing frames to reach sheds, balconies and upper floors before smashing windows and wrecking interiors.
Residents say the vandals have ripped security scanning equipment off rear entrances, urinated on floors, and caused destruction that has transformed a once-settled neighbourhood into an unsafe environment. “We’ve had households come to us who have lived here for 20 years and said this is the first time they’ve felt unsafe in their own homes,” Dr. Chiodo added.
Meg Gadja, 63, is the only remaining resident in her block. “I live here alone in the whole building and it’s not safe for me,” she said. She wants more visible patrols and worries that it is easy for people to tell when she is not at home. Chris Workman, 38, is similarly isolated, the sole occupant of his block after all his neighbours moved out. “It’s unsettling and affecting my sleep because anyone could come in and do anything,” he said. “They’ve removed the scanning equipment on the rear entrance so I can’t enter that way, they urinate on the floor and use golf clubs to smash windows.”
The vandalism has drawn comparisons to William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, with residents describing groups of marauding youngsters who appear to treat the empty buildings as a playground. The “Save Ekin Road” campaign group, which Dr. Chiodo leads, has accused the council of having “left the estate to rot” and said the authority has shown insensitivity towards residents’ concerns.
Council defends redevelopment plans
Cambridge City Council selected Ekin Road for redevelopment because some of the homes, built in the 1950s and 1960s, suffered from serious maintenance and structural problems. The authority said leaving the estate unchanged was not an option. Through the Cambridge Investment Partnership — a joint venture with developer The Hill Group — the council has submitted plans to demolish the 108 homes and replace them with 134 new dwellings. These will consist of 78 council houses and 56 private homes, offering a mix of one- to five-bedroom properties. Notably, four homes are designed specifically for wheelchair users, and the development will deliver the first five-bedroom council homes built through the partnership. The new properties are designed to meet or exceed the “Cam Standard,” focusing on low energy usage, high thermal comfort, and resilience to future climate impacts.
Consultations with residents have been ongoing since 2021, and planning applications were finally submitted in January 2026. The council initially hoped demolition and building work would begin in early 2026, but the delay in formal submissions and the subsequent waiting period have been a significant factor in the current crisis.
The authority acknowledged the difficulties facing those still living on the estate, saying: “We recognise this is a frustrating and sometimes frightening experience.” It pointed to security measures already in place, including mobile security patrols, alarms and motion sensors, and said these are reviewed when required. Cllr Gerri Bird, the council’s cabinet member for housing, has been involved in communicating the plans and responses to residents.
Some of the estate’s original homes were purchased by their tenants under the “right to buy” scheme, creating a mixed estate of council and private homeowners. Even before the redevelopment was mooted, Ekin Road was identified as a hotspot for anti-social behaviour in Cambridge in 2019, and some residents reported issues such as mould in their homes.
Police urge continued reporting
Cambridgeshire Police said officers are aware of the issues and continue to patrol the area alongside a number of partners. The force stressed that all properties have been boarded up and security teams conduct regular visits to prevent further damage. It urged residents to keep reporting incidents to help build a clearer picture of all the anti-social behaviour on the estate.
For now, residents like Ms Gadja and Mr Workman remain trapped among the ruins of a neighbourhood that has yet to see the regeneration they were promised, while vandals exploit the void left by delays and indecision.
