A shadow minister said tenants on an estate earmarked for redevelopment were living in a “state of limbo”.

Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister Emma Reynolds visited the West Hendon Estate to meet people who face being moved out of their homes as part of the regeneration scheme, which will see 2,000 new flats built.

A public inquiry into Barnet Council’s use of compulsory purchase orders on the estate ended last week.

Along with Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Hendon, Andrew Dismore, Ms Reynolds met leaseholders Shirley Backes and Sally Simmonds, who live in Warner Close and are due to be moved out in two years.

The pair explained how they were worried that the money they had been offered for their homes would not enable them to buy a new house nearby.

Ms Backes, who has lived in the estate for more than 40 years, said: “It’s been going on for years. They keep moving the goalposts. It was supposed to be like for like.”

The council and developers argue that the regeneration scheme will contribute “very significantly” to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the area, and that there is a compelling case in the public interest for the compulsory purchase order.

Ms Reynolds also met non-secure tenant Alex Finnie, who is in the process of moving out of Franklin House.

Speaking to the Times Series, the Labour frontbencher said: “What worries me about this scheme is I have met a number of people who were promised something totally different back in 2002. People are living in a state of limbo.”

On the issue of viability studies - which developers use to determine the number of affordable homes and which came up during the CPO public inquiry as they have not been made public - she said there should be an “open and transparent approach”.

She added: “I find it difficult to believe it isn’t viable to have a significant number of affordable homes.”