Council tenants have spoken of their fear over how plans to raze and rebuild Kingston’s biggest estate will be implemented, after Boris Johnson promised the borough a share of a £200m regeneration pot.

The London Mayor said the Cambridge Road estate in Norbiton will be one of 11 new regeneration zones in London, bringing the total to 31, and claimed his investment would undo “30 years of historic failure” to build enough homes in the capital.

Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis said the authority plans to double the number of homes in the estate from 830 to 1,699 and has already bid for cash from the London pot, in addition to other grant funding, to meet the as-yet-undefined bill.

Residents will be moved out of their homes while rebuilding takes place. A consultation into the project was launched in January, and it is hoped work will begin in the autumn of 2018.

Cllr Davis said: “We need to work closely with residents on the estate. This will include support for residents to either remain on site or return to the estate if their homes need to be replaced.

“The existing residents must be and will continue to be our primary concern.

“The only guarantee we can give is that they will be able to move back in.”

“It’s also important to say that no decision has been made on how the estate regeneration will shape up. The initial work to understand the options for this programme, including community engagement on what these options might be, is due to complete by October.

“This is going to be a big opportunity for us to build good quality social housing.”

Jill Preston, of the Cambridge Road Estates Community Group, said: “You’re sort of looking around and thinking, ‘Where are you going to put them all?’ The only way is up, and we have enough trouble with parking now.

“It might be a good thing. Our concern is making sure vulnerable people get the best deal, particularly old people. They are worried what’s going to happen to them.”

Harry Hall, chairman of the Cambridge Road Estate Residents’ Association, said: “It’s just fear because we see what’s happened on other sites around London.

“If we are going to be moved how far are we going to be moved? I’m not sure they really understand the impact this is going to make on people’s lives.”

Liberal Democrat Norbiton councillor Bill Brisbane said: “There is absolutely no commitment on the money, it’s a general statement. To go anywhere you’ve got to get additional funding.

“I hope it will go ahead, you can’t be confident in the current world.”