The evictions of 20 key worker families from a police-owned estate have been called off by the Deputy Mayor of London.

Nurses and school workers living at Raynesfield in Raynes Park have faced months of uncertainty after the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) announced it planned to sell the property in March.

Wimbledon Times:

Visiting the estate yesterday: (L-R) London Assembley member for Merton Richard Tracey, Councillor Gilli Lewis-Lavender, Stephen Hammond MP, Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime Stephen Greenhalgh and Councillor Brian Lewis-Lavender 

The families have been left in limbo since MOPAC dramatically halted the evictions last month, following a high-profile campaign lead by Councillors Andrew Judge and Mary-Jane Jeanes.

But after meeting families on the estate yesterday afternoon, Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh has today decided to cancel the sale of the estate and permanently call off the evictions.

He has also introduced new guidelines for the sale of police-owned properties, which means they can't be sold off if it means evicting existing tenants.

The Raynesfield families, some of whom have been living on the estate for 20 years, can't afford to rent privately in Merton but are not poor enough to be prioritised for social housing.

Mr Greenhalgh said: "I wanted to speak with residents personally to understand their situation so we could find the best way forward. "I was not happy with how they had been treated and I was not prepared to see key workers like nurses, carers and teachers, forced to move out of their homes."

He also thanked councillors for bringing the residents' plight to his attention. More than 1,800 people signed a petition set up by Coun Judge to stop the evictions.

The decision comes after Merton Council passed a motion last week calling on Boris Johnson to permanently stop the evictions, or work with residents to find them alternative accommodation in the neighbourhood.

MOPAC originally planned to sell the property as part of its Estate Strategy to invest profits from property sales into frontline policing.

Councillors also campaigned to stop the evictions of key worker families from 30 Griffiths Road in south Wimbledon, but they were forced out of the property earlier this month.

Residents who have already been evicted from police-owned properties will not be able to return under the guidelines.

A MOPAC spokeswoman was not yet able to comment on whether Raynesfield families who have already found alternative accommodation will be able to return to the estate.

Speaking to the Wimbledon Guardian this morning, Natasha Harris, a caretaker at Joseph Hood Primary School who lives at Raynesfield with her daughter, said she the decision was "great news" but was bemused she had not yet been informed of the decision.

It is understood Crown Simmons (formerly Crown Housing), which leases the flats on behalf of MOPAC, will formally inform the residents of the Deputy Mayor's decision. 

Hearing the news this morning, Coun Judge said: "I think this is a very positive decision and I'm glad that our campaign has been successful because these residents deserve to live in their communities, where they have been living for up to 20 years."

London Assembly Labour housing spokesperson Tom Copley, who has raised the residents' plight with the Mayor of London during Mayor's Question Time, said: “I really welcome the fact that these properties will be saved, it is a great victory for the residents who have campaigned so hard against the plans to sell off their homes."

He added: “Since March we have been calling for the sale to be abandoned, yet Stephen Greenhalgh and the Mayor have refused at every turn.

"That has meant the families living in Raynesfield Park have faced over half a year of anxiety and uncertainty about their future.

“The Deputy Mayor trying to claim credit for this decision, when it is clear that he was forced into the u-turn by massive public pressure, really scrapes the barrel.

"Stephen Greenhalgh should be ashamed that he thought evicting tenants and selling off more affordable housing was an acceptable idea in the first place.”