A CAMPAIGNER for affordable housing who died in 2012 has had a street named after him and a development completed in his honour.
It was part of Tollesbury parish and district councillor Russell Porter's strong beliefs that Maldon and the Dengie was in desperate need of more high-quality reasonably priced properties.
Now two years after he died from cardiac arrest, the housing complex he campaigned for opened on Thursday with a huge launch party in his memory.
In the aptly-named Porter Place, Tollesbury, Mr Porter's widow Stanny said: "It was a very proud day for me and the whole family. It's a lovely legacy to Russell.
"When he first became a district councillor in 2011 housing was one of the first issues to come up and something he felt passionate about.
"He worked hard at his job in London but always found time to go to council meetings and try to come up with solutions for problems with housing in the district and would have loved these homes," added the 65-year-old of Tolleshunt Knights.
At an opening ceremony, Mrs Porter was joined by his two sons Michael, 29, and David, 27, his neighbour Cllr Robert Long and MP Priti Patel.
Mr Porter was a councillor for Tollesbury East parish for 20 years and Maldon District Council since May 2011 and the scheme in his name consists of ten properties that are all let at affordable rent, something close to Russell's heart.
Dutch born Mrs Porter added: "He thought it was very important to be affordable for the younger generation growing up in the area, like our sons who are in their late twenties.
"We were also very happy for MP Priti Patel to turn up on the day. Me and Russell have known her for a long time and I remember handing out leaflets with her in Tollesbury many years ago."
With the help of the Homes and Communities Agency and Maldon District Council the homes were completed in March 2014 and some residents have already moved in.
Mr Porter could speak five languages, loved history and particularly travelling, which led him to Belarus in 2012 where he met the Mayor of Brest and became a consul for the city in the UK.
His friend and neighbour Cllr Robert Long joined him on that trip and also felt this was a fitting way to remember Russell.
He told the Chronicle: "From my knowledge there's only one other road named after a councillor in the district and they spelled that wrong.
"It's a fine development and an achievement for Russell that these homes have been built – he would have loved to have seen it completed.
"He was one of a kind, irreplaceable, and a huge loss to local people."
