Residents speak out after estate in Furze Platt is left in 'unsafe conditions for months'

An estate left in ‘unsafe conditions for months’ has tenants at the end of their tether trying to get answers out of a housing association.

The area around Poundfield Estate in Furze Platt, run by Red Kite Community Housing, has fallen into disrepair, say residents.

Frederick Fletcher has lived there with his mother for more than six years.

He said residents’ meetings with Red Kite have stopped and communication has worsened.

“Contacting anyone about repairs is virtually impossible [and] they repeatedly do not understand requests,” he said.

Now a demolition of garages on the site to make way for new parking has further stoked the neighbours’ ire.

Residents were given ‘zero consultation’ on how these works would be carried out, Frederick said.

Asbestos panels on the roofs were ‘torn up and left in the open’, potentially exposing residents to asbestos fibres, he claims.

Red Kite rebuts this, saying it fenced the area off and that the asbestos sheets were removed ‘in accordance with health and safety requirements’.

But the concerns do not stop there. Residents are dismayed by the aftermath of the demolition, with areas left unsurfaced and ‘piles of rubble and dirt’.

“The parking area was left in a horrific state,” Frederick said. “It feels like we are living with an abandoned construction site outside our window.

“Uneven surfaces and broken fences put the safety of residents at risk.”

Further, the fence around Frederick’s home was damaged, he added – and when a new one was installed, ‘people arrived in an unmarked van’ without prior warning, he said.

Multiple residents have tried to contact Red Kite about issues surrounding the demolition but have been ‘ignored’ or told they would get back to residents, with no follow-up, says Frederick.

“Multiple residents, including my family and my neighbours, have tried to contact Red Kite about this.

“We have driven to their offices, we have sent them online repair requests, we have threatened to contact the ombudsman, and have been either ignored or told ‘we’ll get back to you’ with no further contact,” he said.

Contractors later came out to build a boundary fence around the new car park, which residents are also unhappy with.

“It is very narrow and has no gaps in it. The only way to use it is to step over it,” Frederick said. “Lots of residents have been unable to put their bins out for collection.

“We also have some elderly residents who use wheelchairs and now have no access to the back of their properties.”

Overall, Poundfield Estate residents feel Red Kite have shown a ‘total lack of accountability’, he said.

Responding, Darren Mealings, director of property at Red Kite Community Housing, said: “We take the concerns raised by tenants very seriously, and we are sorry for the frustration some have experienced. We will be getting in touch with tenants who have outstanding repairs to resolve the issues.”

Red Kite will look at any surface treatment work that is required, he said, and will also check for health and safety issues and fly-tipping.

This ‘has been an ongoing issue on the estate for many years,’ Mr Mealings said.

He added that Red Kite is ‘committed to improving communication’ with residents and are planning a drop-in event in April, with an opportunity for Poundfield estate tenants to raise concerns directly.