Along with his wife and two daughters, Yacob Woldehiwot lives in what he describes as his dream home - a fourth-floor flat in west London. It’s a spacious one-bedroom property with panoramic views of London’s skyline, great transport links and a tightly knit, long-standing community.
Yacob says he saved every penny to buy his property on this south Acton estate nearly two decades ago, intending it to be his home for life and an inheritance for his kids. But now, Ealing council wants to demolish it. The other blocks in the estate are already being bulldozed, with new buildings springing up, and Yacob’s family are the only people left living in this once-busy community.
The council are offering to buy his home, but Yacob believes their offer is below the market rate and he will be forced out of London.
Almost a year on since the original programme aired on BBC1, We Are England returns to this south Acton estate to find out how Yacob and his
family have fared. Have they reached an agreement with the council? Have they moved into a new, safe home? Or are they still hanging on, living as the last family in the old block? Show less