UNHAPPY residents of the Cour du Parc tower block have the support of a former Housing member. Deputy Barry Brehaut (pictured), now on the Health and Social Services board, said that Housing could no longer ignore tenants of the property.
This follows Tuesday’s front-page story about a resident who is asking to be moved as the two-bed accommodation is not suitable for her, her partner and their two children.
‘Although there has been considerable focus on the Bouet in recent years, and for good reason, I think that regrettably Housing, myself included, has ignored a problem literally much closer to home. It is not the least bit family- friendly. If the lift is broken, and it is a lot of the time, residents have to struggle up several flights.
‘Add to that the absence of green space and somewhere to keep a bike or children’s play things, then it becomes a very unattractive place to live in.’
Many living in the tower block shared Deputy Brehaut’s views.
A young mother who lives in the block with her two children said she had witnessed drug deals outside their flat and there were police raids on a regular basis.
‘I was coming home from the shop and was walking up the stairs and there were two lads urinating on the stairwell,’ said the 22-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous.
‘I phoned the States, who told me that they couldn’t stop them as they had no control over who moves here.
‘It’s not a safe place for kids. My son used to go onto the balcony, climb on a chair and look over.
‘He’s a big boy and my doctor said he needs exercise, but we don’t have a garden for him.
‘There is nothing for them to do. It seems like your kids need to be on the child protection register to get any help.’
She said she knows of other people in three-bedroom States houses with gardens, when there are only two people living in the property.
‘I’ve spoken to Housing but they told me I would have to wait four years to be moved. They just don’t listen. They don’t care about the people living in this building.’
A 72-year-old resident who did not wish to give her name said she has lived there for 11 years.
‘It was lovely when I moved in. The landings were clean and it was all older people. But now they’ve moved all the younger ones in, it’s just gone from bad to worse.
‘I got in the lift and two lads got in who were both really high.
‘They smelt of cannabis and they were quite oblivious that I was there.
‘However, I’m quite happy here: I just shut my front door and that’s it. But the children come home from school and they are prisoners in this block until they go to school the next morning.’
Article posted on 17th July, 2008 - 2.29pm
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