Dear Sir,
Before I start, I would like to say how attractive and well built the Livin properties at Clarence Chare, Neile Road and their new builds, at Chilton, are.
However, the walls at the Livin pensioners cottages on Washington Crescent are an absolute disgrace.
I spoke to Mr Furber, a 90 year old ex RAF veteran and civil engineer. He told me he was promised his wall would be repaired before he moved in over two and a half years ago.
After speaking to Livin last year, in early Autumn, I was told it was not a priority. I asked again in January, and was told making houses energy efficient was more important.
Mr Furber’s son said he would write to our MP, so, in May, a builder inspected the wall and said it needed demolishing and rebuilding. Still now, a year later, since I requested action, as a town councillor, nothing has happened.
Plenty of bricklayers to build hundreds of new houses locally, but not one to repair a 3ft wall for a 90 year old.
This is just not good enough.
Perhaps we need to write to DIY SOS and get a few local brickies to shame Livin into doing this. I even offered to get some mortar and render it myself until it’s fixed properly.
There’s another wall in bad disrepair on our ward border, but it’s private, so only DCC can say it is unsafe.
Cllr Tony Armstrong
councillortonyarmstrong@gmail.com