Residents begin moving into Crown Road modular homes

The 28 modular homes, or 'containers' as described by the campaigners who fought the project, are all ready, Hertsmere Borough Council has announced.

It will be known as Edwintree Court and it will house residents from Hertsmere who are currently living in temporary accommodation.

The council says the £2.5 million scheme provides "safe, comfortable modular homes for short-term periods for local families in urgent housing need".

Just under 150 households are currently in temporary accommodation, with some of those living outside of Hertsmere.

There were suggestions from the council that the development of one and two-bed homes would be completed by October last year and then in the new year.

Now in May, the homes are complete and Councillor John Graham, in charge of finance and property at the council, is "delighted".

He said: "Like all public sector organisations, our funding is under constant and immense pressure, and we can only anticipate this to increase in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Continuing to rely on expensive, private providers of temporary accommodation was never an option. This scheme will enable us to meet our statutory obligations, while reducing the costs on our budgets – and ultimately the burden to taxpayers.

"I’m delighted that the units at Edwintree Court are being brought into use and that this scheme is already making a valuable contribution to our community."

Cllr Jean Heywood added: "For the families and individuals living at Edwintree Court, their new homes represent not just somewhere to live, but a chance to be part of the local community again.

“Our aim throughout this project has been to provide safe, secure and comfortable accommodation for local people who are in urgent need."

The council has shared this image from inside one of the homes

The Crown Road scheme is the most objected to in the history of Hertsmere's planning history.

There were cries of 'shame on you' from Grant Kramer, whose property backs onto the development, when the planning committee approved the plans in February 2018.

More than 400 people objected to the scheme on the council's planning portal, mainly citing loss of privacy, an unsuitable location, and a worry that the development could generate noise and anti social behaviour.

Protesters in Crown Road before the scheme was approved

Since approval, a petition on Change.org calling for a public inquiry into the approval was signed by more than 950 people.

And the controversy has continued throughout construction.

Local Labour councillor Michelle Vince found herself banned from the site while the council were forced to apologise after one of its contractors was seen "goading" Mr Kramer's wife, Shoshana.

During construction, Cllr Graham also promised to go the "extra mile" to satisfy neighbours like Mr Gramer after the "council broke a promise" when windows from a modular home looked out on their garden and back of their home.

This picture was taken last year. It shows the view from the Kramer's home, with a modular home just behind their fence