Residents in Erith will face a compulsory purchase order in May next year, according to Bexley Council’s leader.

The redevelopment of the Arthur Street Estate has long been in the works and is set to be carried out by housing association Orbit.

Orbit is planning to bulldoze three 13-storey tower blocks and low-rise flats, claiming they are “no longer meeting modern standards.”

To facilitate the redevelopment, the council is planning on using its power to compulsorily purchase homes, likely to be carried out in May.

Orbit has planned for 321 homes, spread across five towers between two and eight storeys high, with 253 parking spaces.

At a council meeting, opposition leader Daniel Francis said the development will lead to a net loss of socially rented homes.

He said: “There’s a real concern that will have a direct impact on the availability of social housing.

“Our concern is the cause that will have on the number of homeless families and the extra pressure that will put on our homeless budget if we are losing socially rented homes.”

The site currently consists of 263 homes, 97 per cent of which are socially rented, and sits across the road from Orbit’s Erith Park development.

Orbit has said previously 38 per cent of their development would be London affordable rent, while 18 per cent would be living rent and 24 per cent shared ownership. The rest would be private homes.

According to council documents, a “programme approach” has been proposed to re-providing socially rented homes, meaning they will be aggregated over a series of developments.

Cllr Louie French, cabinet member for growth, said: “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment too much on a planning application that is coming forward, however looking at the outline of what I think will come forward, there is an increase in family sized homes.

“There will be a net loss based on the fact Arthur Street is mainly single-bedroom and bedsit properties, my understanding is there will be an increase in family sized homes, but this will play out with the planning application.”

A planning application is now expected in December following consultations with the public earlier this year.

According to council documents, the first formal stage of the CPO process is about to be undertaken, meaning tenants and property owners will be written to.