Dear Sir,
It is with deep regret that I have now found out very disturbing details of Livin’s Western Ward Regeneration scheme from attending the recent Town Council meeting last week at Newton Aycliffe. Councillor Arun Chandran suggested residents attend. I am glad many residents did attend and what a surprise it was for us, all I am sure.
The Regeneration project has been exposed to the public and contains anything but an honourable and community benefiting based agenda. As one of the residents my wife and I became willing early volunteers to work as Community Champions for the project.
From attending previous Residents Association meetings, I had seen and heard of the many problems in the community. Ranging from anti-social behaviour by bored high potential filled young children and teenagers who truly deserve and need life skills training and encouragement by being involved in supervised focused programs and an adult supervised Community Centre to encourage a caring and participatory community spirit.
Right through to the visible lack of responsible Livin Landlord action to maintain legal tenant agreements, property maintenance, public pathways, garages and parking, and open spaces maintenance. My wife and I really believed the project had/has the potential to have huge benefits for all our community young and older if handled with integrity.
Fortunately for the community much of the anti-community and real business driven “hidden motives” of the Option 3 were publicly exposed during the Town Council meeting. Including total demolition of all existing houses privately owned and Livin owned to begin early 2019.
Final reduction by 128 family units of social rental housing at an annual “loss” of over £0.5 million to Livin. Compulsory Purchase Orders for all existing house owners to buy in, accept shared ownership or move out with a standard value plus 10% being applied to every house. And final figures of over 600 replacement housing units planned from Executive housing down to new rental Livin units.
This was apparently already planned by Livin long before the Champions were encouraged to get involved early in 2017. This was all exposed to the public at the Town Council meeting.
If Livin had been open and up front with their plans right from the first meeting (which the Council Meeting recording clearly defies) then I believe the potential regeneration plans could have been of huge benefit and uplift in lifestyle improvement potential to all members of the community for years to come.
I believe we were deceived right from the start but now the real Livin Agenda has been exposed and can be correctly understood. Thank you to GARA and Cllr. Arun Chandran.
I look forward to a public apology from Livin to all Champions and Volunteers and stressed out Residents and to a serious rejection of (the money making for Livin) option 3 and a renewed open agenda focus by Livin on community beneficial options including revisiting and revising of options 1 and 2.
Peter Driver,
Silverdale Place (home owner)
