Families’ fury after road scheme which forced them out of 15 homes bought by government for £6million is scrapped – after houses stood empty for decade
Fifteen families in Kent were forced out of their homes after the government compulsorily purchased the properties for around £6 million to make way for a road scheme, only for the scheme to now be scrapped after the houses stood empty for a decade. Residents have reacted with fury, arguing that the disruption to their lives, communities and finances was ultimately for nothing, and are demanding answers over how such a costly and disruptive decision could be abandoned after so long.
The homes were bought up under compulsory purchase powers to clear the way for the road project, but the scheme was never built and the properties have since sat vacant for around ten years, falling into disrepair while costing taxpayers millions. Former residents say they were uprooted from long-standing homes and neighbourhoods for a project that never materialised, and are now calling for accountability and compensation over the wasted money and upheaval caused by the cancelled plans.
- 15 homes bought for £6m via compulsory purchase for a road scheme
- Road scheme has now been scrapped after a decade
- Displaced families are furious over the wasted upheaval and cost
New here? Start with this
Compulsory purchase is a legal power that allows the government or public bodies to buy privately owned land or homes, even if the owner does not want to sell, when it is judged necessary for a project such as a new road. It is normally used to clear a path for infrastructure that is expected to go ahead, with owners paid an agreed value for their property in return for having to leave.
In this case, a road scheme in Kent led to fifteen homes being bought up this way, at a total cost of around £6 million to the taxpayer, so that construction could take place on the site. The people living there had to move out of homes and communities they had often lived in for years, based on the expectation that the project would shortly be built.
Road schemes of this kind can take many years to move from planning to construction, and are subject to funding decisions, changing government priorities and reviews that can delay or halt them entirely. Understanding this case means recognising that the affected families lost their homes on the basis of a project timeline that then stretched on for roughly a decade, during which the properties stood unused.